


The Magical Boxer

by Alexxy



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Chen Cameo, Lay Cameo, Luhan Cameo, Multi, Sehun Cameo, Suho Cameo, Xiumin Cameo, a magical boxer, very slight TaoRis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-20 05:21:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8237546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexxy/pseuds/Alexxy
Summary: Kyungsoo never liked his life. Actually, he hated it. He hated how poverty was written all over his face. He hated how even from miles away his clothes screamed penurious.As if hating his life wasn't enough, he kept getting bullied for his small figure and his big eyes, which resulted in hatred toward himself, too.On a rainy day, a stranger offered him a deal and honestly, Kyungsoo didn't know what got into him because he accepted it. He traded his last ounce of money- that was supposed to be spent on food- with a package. The stranger exclaimed the package and its contents to be magical and money making.Kyungsoo was very eager to find what is in the package and see if it was worth it- especially because he lost the money that was supposed to go for his stomach.Kyungsoo could never imagine he would find a boxer -and only a boxer- inside the package.A boxer.A boxer.WTF?!





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted an AFF.  
> Enjoy~~

'Through my one square foot window, I see outside  
I have chains on my feet, but not in my mind  
I'll be dancing on 'till I see the sun outside  
Don't know how long it will be  
Can't stop me....'  
  
Kyungsoo groaned loudly and pulled the pillow over his head. If there was anything in the world he hated more than his life, it would be Baekhyun's choice in music. Who in their right mind wants to wake up to the sound of Nelly Furtado?  
He pulled the pillow over his ears with more force but apparently, it was no use. The loud music kept piercing through and invaded his much-needed sleep, finally causing him to snap and throw the pillow at the source.  
Of course, nothing happened. It was just a cell phone, after all. It wouldn't simply quiet down because a pillow had been thrown at it. Kyungsoo made a mental note to delete the song ASAP and finally sat up with a muttered curse.  
"Baekhyun, can you please shut it up?!"  
He lazily threw the covers away and shivered due to the sudden cool air hitting his bare chest.  
"Baekhyuuuuuuun~~"  
He then opened their wardrobe's door and picked up a tousled t-shirt, sniffing it to see if it stinks or is presentable.  
"Baekhyun?..."  
When even after the third call he got no answer, he sighed deeply and finally made a move to turn off the alarm himself. Guess Baekhyun was on one of his nightly adventures and he had to start his day without him.  
He patiently put the pillow in its right place and made the bed, before dangling a piece of dirty clothing off of the picket to stop the burning sun from entering the house. He groaned when the clothing kept falling on the ground and kicked it angrily. He finally let it go and proceeded to their small kitchen.  
He was calmly stirring his instant ramyun in the pot when the radio announced the time being 7 A.M. and he stared at the phone with widened eyes. It was showing 6 A.M. and he wasn't sure which one to believe. 6 or 7? 7 or 6? Decisions, decisions...  
He cursed and turned off the oven hurriedly, getting out of the house with a fast speed. He was going to be late for his classes again and once again in his life, he cursed his university for being so far away.  
This was how the 20-year-old Kyungsoo would start his day every morning. Well, except for the phone thing. It was something new that was suddenly added to his daily routine. Every day, he would wake up to a new song and find Baekhyun gone. He would always get out of the house a little late and had to run to university all the long way because he was too poor to spend his precious money on a bus ticket.  
Yes, Kyungsoo was poor, but that is something that should be discussed in its own special time. Back to the main topic.  
That day, every ten strides, Kyungsoo would take a look at the phone to check the time. And he also wouldn't forget to add an hour to what he saw to make out the right time. If he arrived late for his classes again, he would surely get disqualified.  
They say bad luck comes with the good luck. Kyungsoo didn't even get to enjoy his time for arriving at university ten minutes earlier. As soon as he walked in the university grounds, a car passed by him at full speed. Water splashed from the puddle on the ground and in a blink of an eye, he was soaked from head to toe. And also the smell, don't forget the smell.  
The car stopped a few meters away and a boy stuck his head out of the window. It was Jonghyun. A very very rude boy that Kyungsoo liked to think of him as his sworn enemy. It kinda had a cool ring to it. At least, better than a bully.  
Jonghyun smirked and Kyungsoo frowned. "Sorry Kyungie, but I didn't see you there."  
Another rude boy -Minho- stuck his head out from the other window. "Yeah. You might want to wear something better next time. It is so dirty we thought you're ground."  
Kyungsoo shook his head casually and shoved his hands into his pockets. One would think Kyungsoo will hate them for making a joke out of his poor stature but no. He did agree that he's a little-only a little- needy in the case of money. And really, as long as they didn't try to beat him up because they felt like to, they could make jokes about him as much as they want. He was okay with it.  
He changed his direction to the bathroom instead and it took him almost all his spare time to get to class on time. He went in last minute, along with a panting Baekhyun.  
The brunette flopped down on the chair beside him and snatched his water bottle away to take a sip from it.  
"Where were you again?"  
Baekhyun gulped the water down and grinned. "Uhh...busy with my Zorro adventures. You know...the usual. But I'll be home tonight. I promise. And oh, this is your t-shirt. All of the mines stunk so I had to borrow yours. You don't mind, right?"  
Baekhyun pointed at the gray t-shirt he was wearing and Kyungsoo forced a smile.  
Baekhyun was his best friend and also a great housemate. But it could have been really great if he wouldn't always wear his clothes. At least bullies would have less reason to bully.  
Baekhyun saw the uneasiness in his eyes and sent an apologizing smile in his direction. "Sorry. I will wash my clothes tonight, okay?"  
Kyungsoo smiled and Baekhyun ruffled his hair. He couldn't stay mad at Baekhyun for long, after all. Baekhyun was like his savior. If it wasn't for him being the poorest guy in the universe, Kyungsoo would have gotten that nickname instead. It wasn't really something nice to be proud of and he had to be thankful, after all.  
His train of thoughts got halted when someone kicked his chair from the back and send him flying forward.  
Kyungsoo rubbed his elbow and glared angrily at the one who had done the action. Nice. Minho again.  
Minho smirked and Kyungsoo hated to see that he didn't get the chance to retort something because the professor walked in at that exact moment.  
The fact that all the dirt from the floor got stuck to his t-shirt because it was still wet from his earlier encounter wasn't nice either. Like he could complain. They hadn't even started yet.  
From the corner of his eyes, he saw Minho sliding ice into Baekhyun's t-shirt -where did he even take that from?- and Baekhyun violently flinched in his seat.  
Kyungsoo sighed. Way to start another day.  
  


 

  
  
  
"You do realize that you look like a total wreck, right?"  
Kyungsoo pressed the wet clothing hard on Baekhyun's swollen forehead and he winced in pain.  
"I do, I do! At least be a little gentler, okay?"  
Kyungsoo pressed the clothing even harder and smirked when Baekhyun hissed. "This is what you get for meddling in my business." He turned his head toward the kitchen. "Tao, did you die there?"  
A tall black haired boy walked out of the kitchen with a tray of food-that was actually only three ton sandwiches. He handed one to Kyungsoo and held the other in front of Baekhyun's mouth.  
"I never understood why you two stand up for each other. That's just plain stupid considering the fact that they beat you up on a regular basis. And it's never both of you together. If you're so eager to get beaten, you know you can always come to me, right?"  
Baekhyun swallowed the bite in his mouth and showed a toothy grin. "Yeah, we know. But that's some bitchy attitude you're showing. What's wrong with you, anyway?  
Tao threw the small sandwich in his mouth and swallow it down in one bit. "Nothing."  
Baekhyun wriggled out of Kyungsoo's hold and pushed his face into Tao's sight. "Don't lie to your hyung. I know you better than anyone. What? What did you do again? Huh?"  
Tao stared at Baekhyun with a piercing glare but Baekhyun didn't back down and eventually, Tao ended up crying in Baekhyun's arms.  
"I... I got fired again!"  
Baekhyun rolled his eyes and rubbed Tao's back up and down. "What did you do this time?"  
Tao sniffed and rubbed his nose against Baekhyun's shoulder. "Nothing! I swear I did nothing!"  
Kyungsoo snatched the half-eaten sandwich out of Baekhyun's grasp and split it in two before giving him back a half of it. Baekhyun scowled at him but ate his half nevertheless. "You know Tao; they wouldn't have fired you if you had done nothing. Just tell us the reason and let us all share a happy moment together, okay?"  
Tao pulled himself out of Baekhyun's hold and wiped his tears with his sleeve. "You're so mean, ge."  
Baekhyun leaned back in the couch and smirked. "Truth always hurts my dear. Spill it. We don't have time for your nonsense. We still need to wash our clothes. Right, Kyungie?"  
Kyungsoo nodded with a full mouth and Tao pouted. "They said my whole facial expression scares the children and I'm not really fit for being a kindergarten teacher as long as I have this face. Isn't that just rude?"  
Baekhyun burst out in laughter and Kyungsoo-the more polite one- only showed a toothy grin. "Tao, why don't you go and sign in as a Wushu instructor? I think you'll be very successful in that area."  
Tao shook his head and sighed. "I don't know. I've always loved to play with children."  
"I know. But as you can see, the feeling is not mutual. I don't want to upset you, but really if you could smile a little more, at least they wouldn't get scared."  
Tao stood up and hung his bag on his shoulder. "Thanks, ge. I'll try to use your advice and smile more the next time. Oh, and also thanks for the dinner. I really was hungry."  
Kyungsoo smiled and waved as Tao closed the door and the flat became silent, the only sound being Baekhyun's occasional scoffs here and there because he wasn't finished with his laughing already.  
Kyungsoo stood up and went to their bedroom to pick up their dirty clothes from the wardrobe. Baekhyun, on the other hand, picked two buckets from the kitchen and put them on the balcony, filling them with hot water. Kyungsoo came out and dropped the clothes in the buckets. Baekhyun poured the washing powder in the basins and then, both settled down behind their respective buckets and started rubbing the clothes together.  
Half an hour passed like that and in silence until suddenly Baekhyun pointed at the sky with a squeal and Kyungsoo stopped what he was doing to see what Baekhyun is showing him.  
There, in the sky, there was a bright shooting star and Baekhyun immediately clasped his hands together. "Hurry up and make a wish."  
Kyungsoo turned his attention back to his clothes and snickered. He didn't really believe in such superstitious stuff but did it anyways, for Baekhyun.  
So he wished. He wished to become rich, even just for a while. Because he was tired of eating ramyun all the time, he was tired of having only three set of clothes_and having to share it with Baekhyun, too_ he was tired of taking only four steps to go from his room_which he shared with Baekhyun_ to kitchen, he was tired of doing two jobs and still having no money to pay his rent. He was just tired of his life and if it was any wish he could make it was to become rich, even if it's just for one day.  
Baekhyun turned to him with a smile and grabbed his arm to catch his attention. "I wished to find a very tall and handsome boyfriend. What about you?"  
Kyungsoo dropped the clothes with a splash and narrowed his eyes at Baekhyun. "Is that possibly your way of telling me that you're gay?"  
Baekhyun dropped his gaze to his bucket with a shy smile and blushed cheeks. "Y-Yeah."  
"I knew."  
Baekhyun's eyes widened. "H-How?"  
"Believe me my friend; a normal straight person won't watch gay porn in his free time."  
Baekhyun started fiddling with his finger. "You don't mind, do you?"  
Kyungsoo smirked and patted his back. "Why would I? I am, too, after all."  
Baekhyun's eyes widened even more. "Really?!"  
Kyungsoo nodded. "Yeah. Why do you think they always bully me at school?"  
"Wait... Are you telling me that those bullies knew about your sexuality and I, your best friend of two years, didn't know?"  
Kyungsoo stared at the sky and pursued his lips in thought. "Well, you, my friend of two years, weren't with me in high school but they were. I had a boyfriend back then, that's how they know. One would think they would stop their bullying when we enter university but no, their brains can't bear this level of maturity. They're going to be stuck in high school forever."  
Baekhyun ended up giggling hysterically after five minutes of laughing loudly and it took him one glass of water, which Kyungsoo had to get up and bring from the kitchen, to calm down. "So...what was your wish?"  
"Not telling."  
Baekhyun pouted and batted his eyelashes. "But why?"  
"Because if you tell your wish out loud, it won't get granted."  
Baekhyun gasped dramatically. "Are you saying I won't find a tall and handsome boyfriend?"  
Kyungsoo dragged in the hose and opened the water to wash his clothes. "Keep wishing Baek. For us, dreaming is the only thing left."  
The comet sparkled in the sky before disappearing.


	2. Chapter One

"Achoo!"

Kyungsoo sneezed for the tenth time that day. A sharp pain spread through his head and he felt like fainting. He didn't know spending only five minutes in a wet clothing would bring him such an unfortunate cold but maybe he should have guessed that. Jonghyun didn't do anything without any reason, after all.

"Are you okay, Kyungsoo?"

The said boy raised his head and threw a forced smile to the son of his boss. "I'm fine Jongdae. No need to worry."

The brunette leaned over the counter on his elbows and ruffled Kyungsoo's hair.

"Friends are made to worry for each other. But I believe you when you say you're okay. That's why I'm leaving the café for you to close. Don't forget to lock the door, okay?"

Kyungsoo lifted his head off of the counter and glared at Jongdae.

"Where are you going again?"

Jongdae threw him the keys to lock the door and put his coat on.

"Baekhyun texted me. There is this foster care downtown and we're going there to help them a little. Buy them clothes and stuff. You will run here for me, right?"

Kyungsoo sighed and nodded his head lazily. "I will. Will you instead send Baekhyun a message on my behalf?"

Jongdae pulled his beanie over his ears and grinned. "Whatever it is, my friend."

"Tell him to fucking stop being Zorro or Robin Hood or whatever it is and save his money so he can at least pay his half of the rent. Does he even know that I have been paying for all of our expanses in the last five months?"

Kyungsoo huffed irritated and Jongdae laughed. "Okay, I'll tell him. See you tomorrow, then."

Kyungsoo nodded and watched as Jongdae closed the door on his back. He sighed and leaned his head on the counter again.

His days was never easy and he never really had an actual free time but recently, with all the new bills that were arriving, he had to work even harder and so, resting for him was a no-no. Not to mention that university was also being a bitch.

Then again, he had no right to complain, did he? He had jobs and he never was really hungry. He also had a home and had already paid for his university fees. So no, he couldn't really complain because in his situation even the café he was working at was bliss since it was all because of Jongdae, being his friend.

Suddenly, he was drawn out of his thoughts with an awkward scoff and he straightened, seeing as a customer was standing in front of him.

He immediately cleared the counter of invisible dust and raised his head with a professional smile to greet the customer.

The boy, probably his age, was tall and lean. And although he was properly dressed, Kyungsoo could guess there would be some abs under that white shirt, designing that tanned skin of his.

The boy smiled and asked for a caramel latte. Kyungsoo nodded and started making the drink as the boy sat down on a stool and stared at him doing his work. First, Kyungsoo tried not to care but soon, he started squirming under the taller's piercing gaze.

"Can you stop staring?"

The boy blinked once and then smiled, his eyes turning into crescent moons.

"Sorry, but when people make coffee and stuff, I just become so fascinated I can't stop staring."

Kyungsoo smiled in return. "That's fine. Here, your latte."

The boy took the cup and jumped off the stool to draw money out of his back pocket.

He put the money on the counter and waved for Kyungsoo before stepping out of the store and once again, Kyungsoo was left alone with his thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

The clock on the wall announced 11:00 and Kyungsoo finally was able to close the shop. He kept on cursing at everything under his breath while he was taking out his apron or locking the door and it continued when he stepped out into the cold night and shivered. He had forgotten his coat _again_.

He wrapped his arms around his body and started walking toward his house until his unlucky day got completed and he felt a drop of rain fall on his face. First, he ignored it but when the drops become more and more until he was getting soaked, he accepted his dark fate and ran under a shield that were made in the corner of street for homeless people. He put some bricks together until it was high enough and when he sat down, he figured that he's not alone.

There was another person seated a few meters away, who was wearing a black hoodie and his head was wrapped in a long purple scarf. Not enough to hide his honey blonde hair from the eyes, anyway.

They both ignored each other and Kyungsoo took out his phone only to find his battery has run out. He groaned and ruffled his hair in frustration. The series of sneezes after that didn't help either.

The boy slowly and quietly slipped beside him and when Kyungsoo turned around to ask him what he wants, he was surprised to find his face only inches away.

He tired to back away but the boy held him by his arms and smiled sweetly. "Are you poor?"

The question caught Kyungsoo off guard. It isn't everyday that a total stranger will ask you about your money status and honestly, it was creepy. Kyungsoo forced himself out of the boy's grasp and pursed his lips.

"Who are you and what do you want? If you're looking for money, I don't have any."

The boys scooted a little further to give Kyungsoo more space and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, that was rude of me. I'm Luhan. And no, I'm not looking for your money. I just wanted to help you out, that's it."

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes. "So, let's assume that I don't have a lot of money. How are you going to help me out? You look like a beggar yourself."

Luhan shook his head and pulled a package out of his pocket.

"I _am_ a beggar, literally. It's not me who's going to help you out. It's this package."

Time froze for a second and Kyungsoo stared at Luhan with a bewildered expression.

"A package? Is going to help me out? Seriously?"

Luhan laughed loudly and patted Kyungsoo's head. "Of course not, stupid. The contents of this package are. There is something in this that is magical. If you own it and do as the instructions say, you'll become rich. Isn't that wonderful?"

Kyungsoo shook his head and stood up. "You're pathetic. You're only saying this so I can buy the package from you but I'm not going to believe in bullshit. If what you say is real, then why aren't YOU using it? Huh?"

Luhan's eyes filled with sadness and sorrow with Kyungsoo's statement. "Do you think I wasn't? I was using it. I was happy. I was rich but...this can only be used once, and so when my boyfriend took it, the second time it wasn't working anymore. For none of us. And the spell was broken. And we became poor again. You see? This is really precious to me but since I can't use it anymore, I'm willing to give it away for money. Is that much?"

Kyungsoo nodded. "Yes. Because you're crazy. You're impossible. There's no such thing as magic. I'm not going to fall for your trap."

Luhan shrugged and turned his head to the empty street. "Your choice. I can always sell it to another person."

Kyungsoo stared at the boy and suddenly he felt doubt. What if the boy was right? What if there really was something in the package that was magical? What if the package was really money-making?

He slowly reached for his back pocket and pulled out all the money he had. He held them in front of the boy's face and snatched the package out of his hands. "This was supposed to go for my dinner. I hope that it's enough?"

Luhan's face lit up and he sprung up happily. "More than enough, actually. Thanks for your purchase. And please, when you became rich, call me and donate me some money, okay?"

He wrote his number on Kyungsoo's palm and then, ran under the rain. Kyungsoo's eyes widened first but he then realized that the rain has slowed down and he also can continue his walk home.

He started slowly and stared at the package he had in hand. Somehow, he couldn't believe that he really had bought the magical package. What if Luhan had been lying? He couldn't have been lying, right?

He sighed and opened the door to his apartment. The lights were off, indicating the house being empty that wasn't really a surprise. Kyungsoo was kind of even happy that Baekhyun wasn't home, because he didn't want to explain to him about the package.

He threw his clothes all around the house and jumped on the couch. Making mess was very unlike him but at the moment, the only important thing for him was the package.

He took a deep breath and slowly ripped the package open. His heart beat was increasing by every second when he reached his hand in the package and sweat covered his forehead when his hand came in contact with something soft and fabric like. His mind gave him the possibility of a talisman or something of sort but he couldn't be sure until he takes it out of package. So, he took a deep breath and in one motion, pulled the thing out of the package.

The package fell on the ground along with Kyungsoo's jaw when he stared at what was in his hands. A boxer. A boxer short. One navy blue boxer short and nothing else.

His eyes traveled to the small card that had slid out of the package and picked it up from the ground.

 

_Hi, lucky one!_

_You had bought the magical boxer and that means a lovely future with lots and lots of money. Believe me!_

_All you need to know is that this boxer is magical._

_Wear it and you'll become rich._

_Just one thing, never take it off._

One. Two. Three. Ten. Fifty. One hundred.

Those are the numbers of times that Kyungsoo read the note but still, his mind couldn't grasp the fact that the money-making thing was a boxer. ‘Cause seriously?

A boxer?

_A boxer?_

He threw the package and boxer in the trashcan and stomped into his room angrily.

His day couldn't have been worse.

It just couldn't.


	3. Chapter Two

The next day, Kyungsoo woke up not with the usual ringtone but with a loud shriek. He sprinted up from his bed in hurry and jumped out of the room without putting a t-shirt on to see what’s going on. He halted in his movements and stared wide-eyed at a naked Baekhyun, standing in front of the mirror in nothing but a boxer short.

His boxer.

_His_ magical boxer.

Baekhyun, noticing Kyungsoo standing beside him, turned on his heel and grinned at him.

“So? What do you say?”

Kyungsoo gaped at Baekhyun and pointed an amused finger at the clothing. “You do realize that what you’re wearing is mine, right?”

Baekhyun crossed his arms and frowned. “Come on, Kyungie. This is not the first time I’m wearing any of your clothes. It looks good on me, right? It’s very comfortable. Where did you find it?”

Kyungsoo was at loss for words. True, he didn’t really believe the shit about the boxer and was still mourning over his lost money. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel possessive over it and feel threatened that Baekhyun is actually using it. He tried to coax Baekhyun to take it out.

“Look, Baek, I know that we always use each other’s items and I really don’t have any problems with that but this…. This one is different, don’t you think? It’s like a toothbrush. It’s PERSONAL.”

Baekhyun grinned cheekily. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know that I actually use your toothbrush.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened comically. “You do what?”

Baekhyun sauntered casually to their room and started getting dressed into his clothes. “Oh dear Kyungsoo, you’re taking hygiene shit too seriously. Let me remind you, we’re living in a place that technically is no different than ghetto. It just goes by a different name. We’re poor. Money-less. You should even be thankful that at least, we don’t fit in the homeless category. This place is shitty, I know. But this house, this life, is all we’ve got. And believe me, considering some people I know, we should be thankful for it. Be thankful, Kyungsoo. Be thankful.”

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow. “And what does it have to do with what I said?”

Baekhyun sighed and lowered the shirt from his head to send Kyungsoo a what-the-fuck look. “Don’t be a smartass with me. Okay?”

Kyungsoo followed Baekhyun into the room and picked up a t-shirt for himself, his eyes still on the boxer until it disappeared under Baekhyun’s jeans.

“Needing something, baby?”

Kyungsoo tore his gaze away from Baekhyun’s crotch and stared into his eyes.

“Huh?”

“You were staring at my crotch, Kyungsoo. And as much as I understand that we’re both gay and sexually frustrated, you’re my best friend and….not really my type. So… no. My answer is no.”

Kyungsoo made a face and tried to think about the situation positively. It wasn’t like the boxer was really magical and it also had been worn before by that Luhan guy and God knows who else. No. He definitely didn’t mind Baekhyun wearing it. Not at all.

“Shut up. I was just thinking.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their day went on like any usual day would go. Jonghyun and Minho picked up on them like always. Kyungsoo got punched in the jaw, like always.  And Baekhyun donated their money to a beggar girl who was crying in the corner of the street, _like always._

Nothing ordinary happened. Nothing unusual that would somehow, maybe bring them money in a way. Kyungsoo was relieved and mad at the same time. Mad that he had gotten tricked and lost his money. And relieved because….

He wasn’t sure why he was relieved. He wasn’t sure if he was jealous or not. It wasn’t like if Baekhyun were going to be rich he wouldn’t get any of it. No. He was Baekhyun’s friend after all and they would definitely climb the stairs of wealth together. Still, he couldn’t help but to feel like _he_ wants to be the one who is wearing the boxer if anything magical is going to happen. He laughed at himself for being childish.

“Hey Kyung, look what I’ve found.”

Kyungsoo snapped out of his reverie and looked at Baekhyun who was kneeling on the ground and wiping the dust off of something.

His eyes widened. Could it be…a magical lamp? Like one from the Aladdin story? Was the boxer really working? Was three wishes their gateway to happiness?

“This is a wallet, Kyungsoo.”

All his walls of hope came crashing down and Kyungsoo, with slumped shoulder, stared at the brown leather wallet in Baekhyun’s delicate fingers. Baekhyun turned the wallet in his hands and even threw it in in the sky before catching it again and waving it in the air.

“What do you think we should do? It doesn’t feel heavy at all. Should I open it?”

Kyungsoo furrowed his brows and went deep in thought. If it was any different situation, he would demand Baekhyun to put it back where it was and declare the matter none of their business. But it wasn’t any usual day for them and Kyungsoo, despite his mind’s protests, couldn’t think that maybe this is their chance.

“Open it. Maybe there’s something in there so we can find its owner.”

Baekhyun raised a brow in surprise but didn’t comment on Kyungsoo’s out of habit decision and opened the wallet. There, in the wallet, really wasn’t a thing but for two cards. One for a bank account and the other a business card.

Baekhyun inspected the cards and held the bank one out toward Kyungsoo. “The wallet doesn’t hold any money, but I bet _this_ is full of treasure. Do you think they will give us anything if I call them? I mean, as in, a gift for finding their wallet?”

Kyungsoo shrugged and snatched the business card out of Baekhyun’s hand to inspect it. It was from the Kim corporations but no one could say who exactly. It could just be a normal employee. It could be the CEO himself. It never hurt to try.

“Call them.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun flopped down on the couch with a groan and threw the cell phone into Kyungsoo’s lap.

“I can’t fucking believe it. This company is even busier than the president. I’m tired of calling. You try and see if it goes free and they’ll pick up.”

Kyungsoo watched as Baekhyun nuzzled his face into the rugged clothing of the couch and in a few seconds, he was snoring loudly. He shook his head with a smile gracing his lips and picked up the phone to dial the number.

Kyungsoo kept on dialing for so long that he lost count of time. He was actually dozing off when suddenly the line went on and he heard a female voice.

“Hello. The Kim Corporation. How may I help you this afternoon?”

All the drowsiness flew out of Kyungsoo in once and he sat up straight immediately.

“Ah… Hello? This is… Um… I’m Do Kyungsoo. And… I …I wanted to report a finding. I mean… I found a wallet and it had your company’s business card in it. So, I figured it might be for one of your employees. And I called to inform you. Yeah…”

The other line was silent for a second.

“A wallet, you say?”

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if calling the company was a good idea anymore. “Y-Yeah…”

“Please hang on for a second. I’ll be connecting you to my boss.”

“O-Oh, okay…”

Kyungsoo tapped his toes nervously against the floor and bit down on his bottom lip. He almost dropped the device in fear when a deep voice answered.

“Good evening. Park Chanyeol speaking. How may I help you?”

“H-hello. This is Do Kyungsoo. I-wait, no! My friend! My friend found a wallet in the street and we found two cards in it. One a business card and the other for a bank account. The wallet was empty aside from that but we thought that the card might be important. That’s why I called. Yeah…”

“Actually, Mr. Do, I’m very glad that you called. I know the owner of the wallet and we had been looking for it for almost a week. If you don’t mind, we meet up somewhere so I can take the wallet and also give you something in appreciation.”

Kyungsoo’s heart started beating faster with the last statement but he tried to keep his calm. “Okay. When should we meet up?”

He heard sounds of papers shuffling and a huff into the phone.

“Sorry. Would you mind giving me your number so I can text you the whereabouts later? I have to wait and see when my schedule will get free again.”

Kyungsoo grinned victoriously and hummed in excitement.

“Sure. Please write down….”

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun was literally bouncing off of the walls.

“What if-what if I say something and make a fool out of myself? Or worse, I could say something and anger them? I think I shouldn’t talk Kyungsoo. I’m not going to talk, okay? You do the talking. I will just sit there and act handsome. Oh my god, what if he’s very hot and I can’t stop myself from staring at him? He will get crept out. He definitely will and then we won’t get anything. And it will be all my fault and then….”

Kyungsoo pressed his palms harder against his ears but it was no use. Baekhyun’s voice was as annoying as his ringtones. And as irrelevant the comparison may sound but Baekhyun was also like his phone. They both couldn’t shut up.

“Baek, you’ll be fine. Nothing’s going to go wrong. Just keep quiet a little, okay?”

Baekhyun stopped pacing around the house and smiled sheepishly. “I’m talking too much, right? I’m sorry you have to bear with my shit. You’re seriously the best Kyungie.”

Kyungsoo smiled and stood up from the couch.

“Let’s go. Or else we’ll be late.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he rushed to the door, putting on his shoes even before Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo chuckled.

“Oooookay, aren’t you a little enthusiastic for going there? What? Are you going to ask him out if he’s to your liking?”

Baekhyun blushed. “I don’t know. I mean, he’s possibly rich and I’m not. He wouldn’t want a poor boyfriend, would he?”

Kyungsoo smirked and smacked the back of Baekhyun’s head. “Don’t forget that he might also not be gay at all.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in horror as they were walking down the street. “You’re right. YOU’RE RIGHT! What if I had flirted with him and then he would be disgusted because he’s straight and then he wouldn’t give us ANYTHING! Oh my god, thank you Kyungsoo for reminding me or else I were going to screw up everything! Oh my god, I became so nervous right now!”

Kyungsoo shook his head and plugged his headphones into his ears. Because as much as he loved Baekhyun’s singing voice he also despised his speaking voice and couldn’t bear hearing it for their thirty minutes’ walk.

When they arrived in front of the fancy restaurant, Baekhyun finally shut up and Kyungsoo dared to stop his music. Baekhyun was staring at the restaurant with an open mouth and Kyungsoo had to also admit that he could never imagine being in such a wealthy place. The building practically smelled like money and Kyungsoo almost fainted from euphoria. Good thing the man was going to pay, or else Kyungsoo had to invite them to a rundown diner at the end of their street and also spend all the money he had saved for their rent so he could at least buy good food.

Baekhyun tapped his shoulder and gained his attention. “Let’s go in. we’ve stared too much…”

He’s voice faltered at the end of his sentence and Kyungsoo blushed in embarrassment. “Okay, let’s end this soon. We give him the wallet. We take our money and then, we disappear. Woof. Like air. Got it?”

Baekhyun nodded and with a deep breath pushed the door open. The inside was very nice but unlike Baekhyun, who was busy admiring the fine quality of the restaurant, Kyungsoo’s eyes were wandering around for a different reason. The man had said table number 67 but strangely enough, there was no table with the said number on it. A waiter walked to them gracefully and bowed.

“Hello. How may I help you, gentleman?”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened again and Kyungsoo’s jaw slackened.

“Um… Ah… We… We were supposed to… meet with our friends at table 67?”

The waiter nodded and bowed again. “Please this way.”

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun exchanged a glance before starting after the waiter.

He led them to a door that was placed in the corner of the restaurant and once again, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo’s jaw dropped when they entered the area for reserved tables. It was even more beautiful and Baekhyun almost drooled over the golden chandelier until they arrived at their table and figured that the wallet’s owner is already there.

The man slowly lowered the menu and Baekhyun bumped into the edge of the table. The man was extremely handsome. With large eyes and beautiful smile and big pointed ears and _

Kyungsoo coughed and Baekhyun realized he had been staring. He blushed a deep red and hid behind Kyungsoo’s smaller from in embarrassment. Kyungsoo sighed in his mind and smiled at the man sitting at the table. “Hello. I’m Do Kyungsoo. And you must be Park Chanyeol?”

The man smiled and motioned for them to sit down. “Yes. And it’s such a pleasure to meet you. Kyungsoo-sshi and..?”

Baekhyun smiled sheepishly and stepped forward to sit down. “Hello. My name is Byun Baekhyun. I’m Kyungsoo’s friend.”

“Actually, he’s the one who found your wallet.” Kyungsoo pointed out. The man’s smiled widened, almost creepily.

“Nice to meet you, Baekhyun-sshi.”

Baekhyun nodded in acknowledgment and started fiddling with his fingers. Kyungsoo cursed Baekhyun under his breath for being too shy and took the wallet out of his pocket.

“Here. Although there was nothing in it, you can still check to see if everything’s in its place.”

Chanyeol took the wallet and took a glance at it. “Yeah. It’s the wallet we’re looking for. But if you want it to be checked out, we have to wait until my friend comes. He’s the actual owner.”

 Kyungsoo nodded and picked up the menu to take a look at it. His eyes widened immediately when he saw the prices and put the menu back down. Chanyeol saw it and chuckled. “Fell free to order whatever you want. It’s a part of our appreciation. Don’t worry. We will pay for it all.”

Kyungsoo picked the menu up again and shrunk in his seat out of embarrassment. Baekhyun leaned toward him slowly, hiding his face from Chanyeol with his menu.

“Hey Kyung, don’t you think we’re making a fool out of ourselves? I mean, I know we’ve never been to places like this but we’re acting like two prudes who has been living under a rock. From now on, let’s play it cool. Okay?”

Kyungsoo nodded and did a fighting gesture before they both put down their menus and straightened their backs.

“Sorry, am I late?”

Kyungsoo looked up and his eyes met with the same person who had bought a caramel latte from him before. Kyungsoo wasn’t one to remember faces well, but for some reason, he remembered this one well enough to smile and wave for the boy. The boy smiled in return and sit down beside Chanyeol.

“Sorry to make you wait for me. I’m Kim Jongin. The heir to Kim corporations. Nice to meet you.”


	4. Chapter Three

“Baekhyun….”

“Just….Stop it Kyungsoo, okay? Let me be alone for a sec, so I can drown in my own misery.”

Baekhyun dropped dead on the second-hand couch and covered his face with his hands. Kyungsoo hesitantly walked to where he lied and put a hand on his shoulder. Baekhyun lowered his hands slowly and stared at the ceiling with a frown. Kyungsoo tried an encouraging smile. “It wasn’t that bad, okay? You just… talked more than you were supposed to. Nothing serious, though, I promise. I could see how amused he was, you definitely did a good job of making him remember you.”

Baekhyun grunted and covered his face with his hands again. “I don’t know. I feel awful. Really, just leave me alone so I can sulk all by myself.”

Kyungsoo sighed and got up slowly. Baekhyun could be so stubborn sometimes, it made him an even worst pain in the ass. He shuffled slowly to their kitchen and checked a bottle of milk to see if it’s consumable, then poured a glass for himself. His mind wandered back to the events of the night.

 

 

 

 

_Kyungsoo averted his eyes momentarily. Of course, he wouldn’t remember him. Why would he? He wasn’t supposed to remember the boy either._

_“Hey, you’re the guy from the café, right?”_

_Kyungsoo turned his head to him with slightly widened eyes and the boy chuckled. “I’m sorry, did I creep you out? It’s just that, you don’t have an ordinary face. Doesn’t go from mind easily.”_

_Kyungsoo clasped his hands on the table and smiled lopsidedly. “Thanks?”_

_The boy smiled back and didn’t say anything._

 

 

“OMG! I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE I SAID THAT!”

Kyungsoo almost choked on his milk and glared at Baekhyun from over the counter. Baekhyun buried his face in the couch cushions and started throwing angry fists in the air. Kyungsoo shook his head and sighed again. Guess the boxer wasn’t going to help Baekhyun with his behavior anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Remind me again, why did I agree with you coming?”

“Because you love me!”

Baekhyun started making kissy faces and Kyungsoo shoved him away with a scowl. “Just stay out of my sight. You’re scaring the customers away.”

Baekhyun pouted and leaned against the counter. “But I’m cute and loveable. How can anyone get scared of me?”

Kyungsoo handed the customer her milkshake and accepted the cash with a smile. “Yeah. Sorry. Let me correct myself. You’re going to _weird them out_. Better?”

Baekhyun punched Kyungsoo’s arm playfully. “You’re so mean. I hate you.”

Kyungsoo smiled. “Such mutual feelings.”

The door to the café opened and Jongdae walked in with a box in his hands, probably coffee beans. He placed the box on the counter and smiled at the two. “Stop flirting with each other in my café. It’s gross.”

Kyungsoo scowled. “This is not _your_ café, it’s your father’s. And we were not flirting.”

Jongdae leaned against the box and smirked. “You totally were.”

Kyungsoo shoved Baekhyun toward Jongdae and crossed his arms. “Just take this idiot with you and have him help you with all the boxes. He’s pissing me off.”

“Roger.” Was all Jongdae said before grabbing Baekhyun by his arm and dragging him out of the café? Kyungsoo smiled sheepishly to the few customers that had been alarmed by the ruckus and then got back to work.

In the morning, he was yet again woken by Baekhyun’s scream and not the usual ringtone he was slowly getting used to. He suspected it to be Baekhyun’s new ritual added to their schedule. Then again, it wasn’t like the last time when Baekhyun let out a small shriek of happiness. No, he was totally screaming his lungs out and Kyungsoo could also hear the creaking of their couch as Baekhyun was jumping up and down on it. Something was wrong.

Kyungsoo ran to him with a broom in his hands, his eyes wide in terror. Bugs and especially cockroaches weren’t anything new and usually, Baekhyun screamed like that when they were involved. As soon as he was in the couch’s reach, he hoped on and stumbled to Baekhyun who had calmed down upon seeing him walk in.

“Where is it?”

Baekhyun’s grin was so wide he could actually see his whole set of perfectly white teeth. His eyes glinted and he started jumping up and down again. “Where is what?”

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows furrowed and he started at the piece of bacon in front of him. “Stop that. Stop i…. Baek! Stop and tell me where the freaking bug is!”

Baekhyun stilled very suddenly and Kyungsoo grabbed his shoulders to steady himself on the wiggling couch cushions. Baekhyun’s lips were still wide in a grin but a small frown was apparent on his face.

“What bug?”

Kyungsoo stared into his eyes for a second and then, dropped the broom with a sigh. “Why were you screaming?”

Baekhyun’s eyes glimmered in excitement and he grabbed Kyungsoo by his shoulders. “You remember last night when they asked for our account number?”

Kyungsoo nodded his head slowly and Baekhyun squeezed his shoulder harder. “It’s money, Kyung! They gave us money! And a lot of that, I’m telling you. Do you know what we can do with such luxury?”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but smile in return. “Yes! We can pay all of our debts!”

“What? No!”

Kyungsoo patted Baekhyun’s head. “Yes. Exactly. We’re very late on our paying. If we don’t hurry up, we’ll get kicked out of here soon. And believe me, that would only be the start of our misery. There’s no way I’m letting you use the money for charity.”

 

 

 

“And _that_ is how Kyung-freaking-soo spent all the money in just half a day and I couldn’t even get a coin of it.”

Kyungsoo looked up and found Baekhyun staring at him with a grin. He grinned back and didn’t let himself think about the face that weirdly, Baekhyun had been narrating his race of thoughts for Jongdae. It kind of always happened.

Baekhyun put the last box on the counter and wiped the imaginary sweat from his forehead. “There you go.”

Kyungsoo put down the cups he was holding and untied his black apron. “Can you do me a favor and take my place for a sec? I’m going for a pee.”

Baekhyun scrunched up his face in mock disgust and took the apron. “I didn’t need the details, you know? Just hurry, I’m already getting bored.”

Kyungsoo grinned and skipped to the doors located at the back of the room. When he got back, his eyes widened as he saw Baekhyun leaning over the counter and talking eagerly with a woman. He didn’t look like he was flirting with her, not that it was even a possibility. It was just that the girl was too beautiful and sexy to be _talking_ to them. Kyungsoo cursed himself mentally for not wearing the boxer sooner and started walking toward them slowly. When he arrived at the hearing distance, he stopped and perked his ears to listen in on their conversation.

“….people will love that.”

“You really think so? I’d never thought of my hands as sexy.”

“Oh, believe me, beautiful and delicate hands are great turn-ons. And I assure you, you will impress in every other aspect, too. The girls will love you.”

Kyungsoo saw Baekhyun’s bright smile and decided to interfere. “Hey, what’s going on?”

They both turned to his direction and Baekhyun’s smile widened into a grin. He motioned Kyungsoo over with a wave of his hand and clutched at his arm as soon as he was close. “Kyungsoo! This is Mrs. Jung.”

“Call me Jessica.” She added with a beautiful smile.

“Yeah. And apparently, I have a good figure, sexy hands, and handsome features. They want me to model for them!”

Kyungsoo’s jaw comically dropped open. He almost wanted to shout at Baekhyun to take the boxer off, but he collected himself and straightened with a cough. “So, you say he’s qualified to be a model and he can be a model? Just like that?”

Jessica smiled and took a notepad out of his bag. “Not exactly. I’m an agent and supposed to look for talents. I will take a picture of your friend and introduce him to my boss. If they decide that he’s up to their tastes, we will call him to come and sign a contract. After that, his career will begin.”

Kyungsoo nodded his head and chewed down on his lip as he watched the girl take Baekhyun’s number.

“So, it’s also possible that he won’t get accepted?”

Baekhyun glared at him but Jessica only smiled. “Of course there is. Such thing is possible for everyone but I’m ninety percent sure he will get accepted. Not only he is unconditionally handsome, but also we have recently lost one of our models and we are desperately in need of one. I’m really hopeful on him getting accepted.”

Baekhyun smirked at Kyungsoo and he stepped back with a sigh. If Baekhyun’s mind was set on it, then there was nothing he could do about it. A customer arrived and drove Kyungsoo’s attention away from the bickering couple but still, he couldn’t stop himself from listening on their conversation and thinking about the boxer and the _what ifs_ following it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“……and then I’m going to flip my hair cutely. That’ll definitely drive them crazy! Girls are suckers for those things, right? What do you think, Kyung?”

Kyungsoo grunted and didn’t bother to answer. Apparently, Baekhyun didn’t need one either because immediately, he started another round of rambling nonsense about the things he would do when he’d become _a model_.

That was when Kyungsoo realized, in all his life, he’d never regretted something as much as then, he regretted not wearing the boxer as soon as he took it out of its wrapping. Like, seriously, he was stupid enough to buy the package, why couldn’t he be gullible enough to actually wear it? And now Baekhyun was the one who was wearing the boxer and _he_ was the one who was going to be lucky although it was _Kyungsoo_ who had bought the clothing.

Immediately, Kyungsoo felt guilty. ‘I shouldn’t be thinking like that. Baekhyun’s my best friend.’ He told himself. Maybe Baekhyun was someone with an irritating personality and his lack of regard for money wasn’t suitable for someone of his financial status, he was still his friend. They were bros for life and he knew that Baekhyun would never abandon him if he got famous or something. He just felt very insecure about the whole ordeal and he felt ashamed of himself for that.

Baekhyun beamed at Kyungsoo when he nodded at what he said absently and Kyungsoo felt nauseous. He tried to ignore the pang in his heart and just drown himself in the brown of Baekhyun’s eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo knew that he was dreaming as soon as a giant boxer started chasing after him. He was even suspecting that he should consider it a nightmare because the sounds the boxer was making didn’t match the rainbow themed surrounding.

He woke with a start when the boxer leaped on him and his eyes wandered around frantically, searching for Baekhyun. His heartbeat slowly turned back to normal and heat rushed back to his numb hands and feet.

_Yeah. Definitely a nightmare._

His ears perked when he heard the sound of running water and despite his dizziness, he hopped off of the bed and stumbled out of the bedroom.

Time stopped and he froze in his place when he saw steam coming out from under the crack of bathroom’s door. Blood rushed to his head and his throat went dry. The door opened and Baekhyun stepped out with a dirty pink towel wrapped around his waist.

Kyungsoo’s eyes followed Baekhyun’s hands as he smoothed out the wet boxer and sprawled it on the laundry rack to dry up. Baekhyun turned to him with a smile. “Morning!”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened.

_No! You weren’t supposed to take it off! No! No! NO!_


	5. Chapter Four

_One more time….. Only one more time and I’ll be finished._

Kyungsoo took a deep breath, shoved the boxer back in the sink and started scrubbing. He knew Baekhyun wasn’t a dirty person –he was messy, but not dirty. Totally two different things- He was sure Baek had washed the boxer. He also knew that before Baekhyun god-knows-how-many people had worn the clothing. There was no way he could make it hygienically acceptable. Still, he couldn’t help but to scrub and scrub and scrub.

Even the idea of having to wear something that had been close to dozens of personal areas made him cringe. And yet, he was not willing to let it go. He had seen its effects. He had seen every sort of luck happening to Baekhyun when the only things happening to him before that, were misfortunes. No, Kyungsoo was sure the boxer was going to help him. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that _so many people_ …..

Kyungsoo shook his head and threw the boxer on the rack to dry up. Baekhyun was snoring loudly outside, draped over the couch. He was so happy the previous night that he got himself shit drunk and didn’t make it to the bedroom.

Kyungsoo made himself tea and went back to his room. He took a sip of the cup and looked around. He wondered what would change if the boxer really did work on him. Would they just change their furniture? Buy a new bed, curtains and maybe even a washing machine? Or would they gain enough money to buy a new house completely? Was that even possible? How much was the ability of the boxer?

How far could it take them? Could they go as far as being billionaires? Surely _someone_ had kept the boxer on for a long time?

Kyungsoo shook his head again and took another sip from his tea. Now, he was overthinking everything. One month ago, he would laugh at himself for believing something as imaginary as magic and now, he was cooking his brain over it!

He went back to the boxer and sat by the leg of the clothing rack. He just had to wait until it would dry up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tao put the glass back on the table. “So….. You’re going to lie there, just like that?”

Baekhyun took another look at his phone’s black screen and sighed dramatically. “Yes. I don’t think I can do anything until she calls.”

Tao shrugged and leaned silently against the wall. Kyungsoo watched all of this from where he was standing by his bedroom’s door. It had been three days since Jessica had offered Baekhyun the modeling job and there had been no news from her ever since. Almost as if she had disappeared into thin air. If they didn’t have the company’s card, they would have thought they were being pranked or something.

That’s why Baekhyun has been feeling very down. After three days, there was no more hope left in him and he had been sulking the whole time.

Tao pushed himself off the wall and picked his bag from the floor. “Oooookay, I think I’ll be leaving then.”

Kyungsoo walked him to the door. “Really? Didn’t you come here to tell us something?”

Tao smiled and stepped out of their flat. “Yeah, I was here to sulk about how I got fired again. Seems like you’ve got enough of that already. Good luck!”

Tao did a small fighting gesture and strode to his own door. Kyungsoo waited until he heard his door close and then, walked back in. Baekhyun’s new pose was to lie face-first on the couch with his right hand dangling off uselessly. He moved his head slightly upon hearing Kyungsoo’s steps and pressed his cheek against the cushion. “Kyungsooooooo, I don’t think she’s ever going to call….”

As if on cue, his phone rang. Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he pushed himself off the couch immediately. The phones’ ringtone came out even louder now that he wasn’t lying on it anymore and it vibrated against the couch constantly. Kyungsoo watched with folded arms as Baekhyun made no move to pick it up and sighed inwardly.

“Pick it up Baekhyun. I’m sure it’s good news.”

Baekhyun stared at the phone a little more and then, took the device with a gulp. As soon as he put the phone to his ear, Kyungsoo held his breath. A few seconds passed and Baekhyun’s expression changed from worry to an icy calm. Kyungsoo rubbed his sweaty palms together and hoped from the deepest parts of his heart that Baekhyun had got the job.

“I didn’t get it.”

Kyungsoo felt his face muscles go numb and wondered how he’s looking in Baekhyun’s eyes. And Baekhyun himself looked so calm.

“Why?”

Baekhyun flopped back on the couch and sprawled himself all over it, the back of his hand over both of his eye. “I don’t know. She wasn’t very specific about it. She vaguely mentioned something about my height and ended the call.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes stung and he wished for the hundredth time that Baekhyun hadn’t taken off the boxer so soon. “I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s okay.” Baekhyun’s voice came out muffled from under his hands that were rubbing his face. “It was never going to happen anyway. I don’t know what I was thinking, even for a second believing that something like that was going to happen to me. God, I am so stupid.”

Kyungsoo watched with sad eyes as Baekhyun sprang up and shot off to the bathroom, not giving Kyungsoo a chance to take a look at his face. He always acted tough but Kyungsoo knew for sure that he was crying.

If he wasn’t sure before, he definitely decided that he’s never taking off the boxer. It was for their better good. Both of them.

“Also, go get ready. We have class today and I don’t think we can ditch anymore.” Baekhyun shouted from the bathroom and Kyungsoo stormed off to their room. Yeah, the university was a good place for his string of luck to start happening. Definitely good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“…… and how could she be so sure when she _knew_ they had height rules. I mean, did she really have to rub it in my face like _‘Baekhyun-sshi, but you’re so short to be of use to us.’_ ”

Kyungsoo tried to turn the volume a little higher but it was the highest it could get. Kyungsoo gritted his teeth as Baekhyun’s imitation of Jessica’s voice out-volumed the music and reached his ear. Baekhyun suddenly clutched Kyungsoo’s arm and tried to push the headphone off his ear. “Listen to me, Kyungie. Don’t be so mean.”

Kyungsoo sighed and shrugged Baekhyun off his arm. “I’m _listening._ Did you really think that the music would be louder than your voice?”

Baekhyun grinned. “No. But apparently, that’s what _you_ thought?”

Kyungsoo put his hands up in surrender. “It never hurts to hope.”

At that exact moment, a car passed by and splashed water all over them. Kyungsoo froze in shock but Baekhyun turned around with an angry glare, shouting profanities.  “Fuck you Jonghyun and Minho! You think it’s funny? I’ve already had a rough day aaaaaaaaand….”

Baekhyun’s voice trailed off suddenly and although shell-shocked, Kyungsoo slowly turned around to see what had shut him up. A red Maserati had stopped a few meters away and Kyungsoo watched with an ajar jaw as a pair of long and slim legs stepped out first and then a girl came out. She was tall. And pretty. And rich. Definitely rich. What exactly was happening?

The girl approached them with firm steps, her heels strangely making no sound against the wet concrete. She stopped a few steps away from them and elegantly removed her sunglasses.

“OMG! I am so sorry!”

The girl’s voice knocked some sense back into the awed boys and they both straightened up unconsciously.

“It’s okay.” Said Baekhyun, uncertainly. It definitely wasn’t okay but they couldn’t just lash at her when she was being so nice, now could they?

The girl checked them both from head to toe and bit the corner of her mouth worriedly. “No, it isn’t. You’re completely soaked. I’m really really sorry. What can I do to pay for the damage that I’ve done?”

Kyungsoo squirmed slightly in his place to feel the boxer. Relief washed over him when he realized the water had not gotten to the boxer yet and smiled at the girl. “No, really. It’s okay. It was just an accident. Don’t worry much about it.”

The girl glanced between both of them with wary eyes and constantly chewed on her lip. “At least let me but you new clothes.”

Both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun’s eyes widened comically.

“No!”

“No way!”

“Thank you very much!”

“We’ll be late for our classes!”

The girl smiled. “Nonsense. A store I know is nearby. We’ll purchase your clothes there and then, I’ll give you a ride to wherever you were going. Please, I won’t be able to rest my mind if you don’t let me pay for my mistakes.”

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun exchanged a glance and Kyungsoo nodded slowly. If it was the boxer’s first luck event planned for them, then there was no way he was going to miss it.

The girl saw the silent agreement between them and smiled again. She started walking toward her car and the boys followed after her. They stopped dead when they reached the car and she opened the back door for them. When none of them made any attempt at getting in, the girl’s brows scissored in worry. “Is anything wrong?”

“We’re totally soaked. I’m sure you don’t want us anywhere near your car, let alone inside it.”

The girl smiled sweetly and dismissively waved for them to get inside. “Don’t be stupid. I honestly don’t care. Please get in so we can do it fast. You seemed to be in a hurry.”

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo got in the car reluctantly and the girl settled behind the wheel, taking off.

The ride was only two or three minutes and when they parked in front of the store, their jaws dropped again. The store was a famous one throughout the whole city and Kyungsoo would have never imagined someday he would step in it to actually buy something. Apparently, Baekhyun was also thinking the same thing. He turned to the girl with widened eyes and the girl laughed.

“Don’t even think about the prices. Come.”

They followed her throughout the aisles which she seemed to know pretty well until they arrived at the section Kyungsoo supposed was the male clothes. The girl pointed toward hundreds of racks and smiled. “Please, choose whatever you want. Take your time to find what you like. I’ll be waiting for you just here.”

And with that, she sat down on one of the waiting seats and busied herself with her phone. Baekhyun broke off into a grin and soon, they were rummaging through racks and racks of clothes, seeing more clothes than they had seen in their whole life. Still, in the end, they both settled on plain shirts and jeans. Because they didn’t want to attract too much attention.

The girl watched as they walked toward her with the clothes on their hands and stood up. “That’s it?” They both nodded. “Okay, then. Let me pay for it first, then you can go and change.”

Purchasing and changing only took them five minutes and before they knew it, they were back in the car, heading to the university. Baekhyun propped his elbow on the window sill and when Kyungsoo stared at him with questioning eyes, smirked. “Might as well show off a little. Everyone’s gonna see _us_ entering the university in a MASERATI. I want to watch the shock on their faces with a smirk on my lips while I can.”

Kyungsoo didn’t particularly feel good about the plan and really, the girl’s giggles didn’t help either. But he had to admit it, it did feel exceptionally pleasing when Jonghyun tripped over his leg and tackled into Minho when Baekhyun waved at him. The girl dropped them off exactly in front of the grand doors and stepped out for them politely. Kyungsoo bowed in return. “Thank you very much. I wish you hadn’t bothered yourself too much.”

“And I wish you would stop saying that. I told you, there was no way I was going to let you go after soaking you thoroughly. I’m not one of those obnoxious brats who doesn't care about anyone but themselves. I’m a nice girl.”

Kyungsoo smiled. “I’m sure you are. Then again, thank you.”

The girl got in his car with another smile and they watched as she drove out of university. He sighed out of bliss and then turned to Baekhyun, who was proudly beaming at everyone. He shook his head and dragged him in by grabbing his arm. Some things just wouldn’t change.

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo put his last book in his still wet bag and stood up. They had both forgotten to buy a new bag for themselves and now, all his books were facing a major after-bath session. He wasn’t sure if it was okay to feel remorse about it, though because he wasn’t even supposed to get the clothes. Baekhyun crumpled some soaked papers with a disgusted face and threw them in the trashcan. Screw the morals, they should have totally bought the bags.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the new money squad.”

Kyungsoo turned around and saw Jonghyun, Minho and some of their body-building buddies entering the class. This usually didn’t mean something good and Kyungsoo didn’t have any reason to consider that day an exception. Baekhyun folded his arms over his chest and glared at them all. “What do you want?”

Minho casually leaned against the door frame with a sly grin. “Nothing much, really. We’re just curious to know how you got your clothes.”

Baekhyun smirked. “You jealous?”

Kyungsoo mentally face-palmed. Baekhyun’s big mouth always made everything worse. Minho growled, his smirk disappearing and replacing by a frown.

“You think you’re so funny, don’t you? You think we don’t know you’ve stolen what you’re wearing?”

Baekhyun gritted his teeth in anger and started stomping toward them. Kyungsoo tried to hold him back but didn’t succeed. Soon, Baekhyun was standing in front of Minho, trying to punch him in the face. That proved to be hard due to their height difference and Kyungsoo sighed at how Baekhyun was making a fool out of himself. When Minho was done with laughing at Baekhyun, his expression turned suddenly serious and he grabbed Baekhyun by his hair, dragging him out of the class. Frantically, Kyungsoo followed the group, watching as Minho kept pulling on Baekhyun’s hair and not letting him walk properly. Finally, they stepped into an empty corridor and Minho threw Baekhyun on the ground. Kyungsoo opened his way through them and ran to Baekhyun’s side. Baekhyun was murmuring something with tears in his eyes. Kyungsoo reached his hand to pat his head and instead, got a patch of his hair. He glared at Minho. Jonghyun who was standing beside Minho smiled evilly. “You know, I’ve always loved this part.”

He then raised his hand and Kyungsoo closed his eyes, waiting for whatever that was to come but instead, he heard a groan. He cracked his eyes open and saw Jonghyun holding a bloody nose.

His eyes then widened because the person who had punched Jonghyun and now was standing in front of Kyungsoo, offering him his hand was no other than Kim Jongin.


	6. Chapter Five

“Now, tell me again. Who the hell on earth gets _bullied_ in the university?”

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun both lowered their gazes under Jongin’s hard glare. As embarrassing as the situation was, an angry Jongin was an intimidating Jongin and Kyungsoo honestly didn’t dare to say anything. Jongin huffed and Baekhyun lets out a soft, almost inaudible whimper. Apparently, he didn’t either.

“I mean, seriously? That shit is for high school. You two aren’t some small kids who are scared to tell on the school bullies. You, two giants have grown up and the least you can do is to stand up for yourselves!”

Kyungsoo cringed with every harsh word Jongin spat out. It wasn’t like he never thought about it, he didn’t need someone who barely knew him to rub it in his face. Suddenly, Jongin seemed to realize his actions and his features softened immediately. “Sorry, it’s just that… when I was a scrawny kid, I used to be the subject of bullying too. Those were some horrible times and I hate to see other people going through the same thing.”

Kyungsoo didn’t know how to respond to that. So he didn’t. When silence started to become awkward, Jongin broke it with a sigh. “Look, I’m really sorry, okay? I didn’t want to be rude. That was none of my business. Can I at least buy you two gentlemen coffee as a sign of my honest apology?”

Kyungsoo glanced sideways at Baekhyun who in return raised a brow in question. Seeing the exchange between the two, Jongin blushed slightly and fidgeted in his place. “I… left my wallet in my office. I don’t have enough money to invite you to a proper meal but -”

“Nonsense. Coffee is okay.” Baekhyun chimed in. Kyungsoo sent him a glare before turning to Jongin and giving him a smile. “What he means is that, thank you. You don’t have to buy us anything.”

Jongin shook his head. “I insist. Like I said. That’s the least I can do.”

That’s how they ended up at Kyungsoo’s workplace, this once Kyungsoo being there as a customer rather than a worker. Hyoyeon, his substitute, strode towards them and placed their orders on the table. Kyungsoo watched as she winked at Jongin and his cheeks colored a faint shade of pink, immediately.

That definitely got Kyungsoo thinking. He closed his ears on Baekhyun’s ranting and started eyeing Jongin while sipping on his coffee. Jongin was good looking. That much he had to admit. Tanned skin. Warm brown eyes. Killer smile. Not to mention that he was also a sucker for taller boys –which was kind of everyone- (And he would never admit that to Baekhyun. No. never)

So, yeah. He was hot. And Kyungsoo could almost see themselves being in a relationship sometime in the future. Gosh, they would look soooooo cute together. If only he hadn’t blushed by Hyoyeon’s wink. That was such a turn-off. Like, what the hell? Why was every hot guy straight? That just wasn’t fair! He suspected that in the end, he really had to start dating Baekhyun if he couldn’t find someone for himself. Still, that wouldn’t be so bad. But he knew they wouldn’t really hit it off as lovers.  For him, Baekhyun was too obnoxious for that. He wondered if the boxer would help. Yes, the boxer brought money, not luck. But Jongin was famous and it kind of considered as gaining money, didn’t it? Maybe if he just_

“I would really appreciate it if you don’t doze out on me, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo snapped out of his thoughts and found both Jongin and Baekhyun staring at him intensely. He smiled sheepishly and crossed his legs to hide his crotch, in case a boner suddenly decide to pop up. “Sorry. You know your voice is too good it’s like a lullaby for me, right?”

Baekhyun mouthed a ‘hate you’ but then smiled, and Kyungsoo knew that he had been forgiven. Not that he had done something wrong, but still.

Baekhyun stared at Jongin and he gave him an encouraging smile. Wrong thing to do. Baekhyun started rambling again. Jongin’s eyes widened comically, but it was too late to stop Baekhyun now. Kyungsoo leaned back in his chair, raised his cup to his lips and let his mind wander back to killer smiles and, tanned skins and broad shoulders.

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun shrieked for the umpteenth time that day and Kyungsoo clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Baekhyun, for the hundredth time, this is not a _school trip_. For one, because we aren’t in school anymore.”

Baekhyun paid no attention to Kyungsoo’s words, he just kept on sprinting which earned him a lot of stares from passersby. Kyungsoo stopped him by his arm and pointed at the university banner. “Mr. Genius, tell me what that reads.”

Baekhyun pulled his arm out of his grasp and made a face. “What the hell, Kyung?”

“Just… read it.” Kyungsoo breathed out.  Baekhyun sent him a glare.

“Seoul University of…”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Kyungsoo held up his finger to Baekhyun’s lips and silenced the latter. “I just wanted to make sure you can see the ‘university’ mark up there. Now, tell me. Do you _know w_ hat it means?”

Baekhyun slapped Kyungsoo hard on the back and strode toward university gates with a scowl. Kyungsoo sighed deliberately. Since they had been announced of their educational trip to one of Korea’s biggest companies, Baekhyun’s state of being-a-pain-in-the-ass has high-rocketed into a whole new level. And slowly Kyungsoo was beginning to remember those how-to-kill-an-enemy lessons his brother always used to teach him.

When he arrived at Baekhyun’s side, he saw two yellow buses, which much to his chagrin, really did give up the vibe of a school trip. Baekhyun, who had seemingly forgotten about their earlier dispute, dragged him to the nearest bus by his sleeve. Everyone else was already there, so as soon as they settled down at the back of the machine, the bus took off. The whole ride, Kyungsoo had to bear with Baekhyun’s happy rants. Really, the dirty glares Jonghyun and Minho were giving them was not helping either.

Finally, when the car braked, Kyungsoo sighed from relief. Baekhyun again went into one of his too-excited-to-be-able-to-talk modes and shut up completely. Jonghyun and Minho also got put on the front line so they couldn’t bother them. Kyungsoo grinned and tried not to think about the fact that they’re actually moving in a line.

Choi Enterprises were famous for their sunglasses. They produced all kind of fashion accessories but they were especially known for their sunglasses and honestly, no one could deny that they weren’t special. As a ‘business management’ student, Kyungsoo was very marveled and interested, and he really was curious to know more about their secrets of success. For managing to gain tones and tons of money only with such an ordinary object. Kyungsoo had his jaw agape as he peeked into every room they would pass by and his heart was all jitters and flutters.

Some rooms were personal offices and some contained of several cubicles. Some rooms were only for keeping stocks and some… weren’t really rooms, they were janitor’s closets but Kyungsoo was too curious to let go. He just had to open EVERY door in his way and take a peek in.

It was only after ten minutes and one hundred and sixty-eight doors that Kyungsoo came across a dead end and to his horror, looked up to see that, yes; he had been lost.

Kyungsoo spun around and stared at the empty hallway he had ended up in. there was no trace of his class, not even a distant sound of chattering and Kyungsoo felt himself starting to panic. This was not good! This was not good at all!  He wasn’t supposed to get lost! Now, what was he going to do?

A door to his left opened and a woman stepped out. They both stared at each other, Kyungsoo marveling hardly where he had seen her before. Eyes of them both widened in recognition.

“You!”

Kyungsoo shut his mouth immediately and felt his face heating up. His voice wasn’t supposed to come out so loud and squeaky. The woman chuckled. “Nice meeting you again.”

Kyungsoo fidgeted in his place and cleared his throat before answering. “Yeah. It’s nice meeting you again, too Mrs. ….?”

She smiled. “Sooyoung. My name is Choi Sooyoung.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened again. “Choi? Is this… perhaps… your company?”

The girl chuckled again. “Not mine. My father’s. But yeah, you got the gist of it.”

Kyungsoo shook his head in embarrassment. “I feel like we should have guessed that much when we saw you with your Maserati.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t told you my name back then. Which reminds me, where is your friend and what exactly are you doing here?”

Kyungsoo gulped and started fiddling with his fingers. “Well… I don’t know if you’ve been informed or not, but there is a group of university students here right now…”

“And you’re supposed to be one of them?”

“Yeah, I just…. got carried away I guess? Baekhyun –my friend, I mean- is there, too. I was so busy marveling at everything that I didn’t realize I’m losing my way. I hope I didn’t get myself in trouble.”

Sooyoung smiled. “No, it’s okay. Come with me and I’ll take you back to your friends.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but wince at Sooyoung’s choice of words. Sooyoung’s brows furrowed in a grimace, too. “Sorry, I didn’t intend for my words to come out so rudely. I deeply apologize.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

Sooyoung smiled apologetically and motioned for Kyungsoo to follow her. Kyungsoo started after her and they fell into an awkward uncomfortable silence. This time, Kyungsoo paid attention to where they were going and instead of just casually peeking in every room, he watched carefully, taking note of what each room was for and guessing about what everyone was doing.

“You really seem to be interested.”

Kyungsoo glanced at his left. He hadn’t realized they’re walking beside each other now. “My major requires me to care about everything.  But, then again, I wouldn’t have chosen this major if I wasn’t interested, right?”

“Right. And you never told me your name.”

That caught Kyungsoo so much by surprise that he went straight into the wall. Sooyoung drew him back by his arm while laughing and Kyungsoo’s cheeks heated up in embarrassment. “Sorry, I just…”

Sooyoung let go of him and smiled. “You told me your friend’s name is Baekhyun. But you never told me what YOUR name is.”

He took a deep breath. “Kyungsoo. Do Kyungsoo.”

Sooyoung’s smile was almost too bright for Kyungsoo to handle. “So, Kyungsoo, you said you’re here with your university class?”

Kyungsoo nodded his head. “Then your major is ‘business management’?”

Kyungsoo nodded again and Sooyoung hummed in apprehension. Few seconds passed in silence again until Sooyoung broke it. “Did you know that … we’re in need of someone with your major to work for us?”

Kyungsoo choked on his breath. “Are you asking me to come and work for you?”

Sooyoung chuckled and waved her hand in the air. “It’s not as simple as that. But I can get your number to give you a call about the interview’s date and place.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t believe his ears. In a daze, he tapped his number down in Sooyoung’s phone and bid her goodbye when they reached his class.

Baekhyun tugged at his arm and started bombarding him with questions immediately. “Where did you suddenly go? What happened? Wasn’t that the girl from that day?”

But the only thing he got was a dazed Kyungsoo mumbling something about ‘magic’ and ‘boxers’ under his breath.


	7. Chapter Six

_A black Lamborghini Jota braked in front of the red carpet. The driver’s door opened and Baekhyun hurried out, straightening his chauffeur clothes in the process. By the time he reached the back seat’s door, everyone’s attention was diverted on him. Expecting eyes and eager hands holding cameras. Baekhyun gulped nervously and opened the door for his_ Master _to come out._

_Expensive leather shoes came into view followed by curvy hips cladded in rich expensive slacks. When the face of the person came into view, the flashing of the cameras and the shouts of the reporters started even more loudly.  Kyungsoo couldn’t keep the grin off his face._

_He watched as Baekhyun closed the door and drove the car away. And now he was alone with his fame and glory.  
_

_No, maybe not exactly alone. He wasn’t sure why he’s standing rooted at his place and only occasionally waving at the crowd. As much as he knew, he was supposed to walk down the carpet and attend the party that was thrown for him. His questions were answered as soon as he felt an arm circling around his waist. He herds the female crowd screaming in delight and looked up, in some kind of slow motion to see Jongin’s face smiling brightly at him._

_“Hey, love. Sorry, I’m late.”_

Kyungsoo woke up with a jolt. He sat in his bed with wide eyes, his forehead damp with sweat and his breath coming up ragged and choked.

What kind of dream was that? He wasn’t rich yet, he wasn’t supposed to dream of those sort of things. And the part with Kim Jongin in it…. Oh god, what was going in his subconscious that he didn’t know about? Was he really that much interested in Kim Jongin to see him as his boyfriend –or even fiancé, Kyungsoo couldn’t be sure- in his dream? Really what was wrong with him?

He snuggled back into his hard pillow and force closed his eyes. He wasn’t sleepy anymore, but he needed the rest and maybe if he just laid down in bed, he could go back to sleep.

Baekhyun had other plans for him. Fifteen minutes later and when Kyungsoo’s eyes were actually starting to feel heavy, Baekhyun started pounding on his door.

“Rise and shine dearie, you just got the call.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes snapped open and all the irritation fled from him to be replaced with sheer happiness. He jumped to his feet in a swift motion and darted out the room, nearly hitting Baekhyun’s face with the door. When he spotted the phone on the kitchen counter, he leaped on it like a cheetah going for its prey and immediately started going to the phone logs. It was as if a bucket of cold water got dumped on his head when he found out that the last call had been the one he had made to Baekhyun the previous day. He looked up with sad watery eyes and sniffed. “You tricked me. That’s mean, Baekie.”

Baekhyun crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head in disappointment. “No, mean is what you’re doing to yourself. You always stay up late doing nothing but staring at the phone, waiting for her to call. You have even been ditching your classes! Do you know what that means? That you’re a sucked up loser. Get a hold of yourself before I call Tao to come and kick your ass. And come off the counter, now!”

Kyungsoo slid down with a pout and put the device on Baekhyun’s expecting palm which he was holding up in the air. His delicate fingers circled around the phone and he put a friendly kiss on Kyungsoo’s hair. “I know what you’re going through because that time with the modeling job, the same thing was happening to me. Believe me, it’s from experience when I say you don’t want to just waste your time waiting for her to call. The chances of you getting the job are just so slim that_”

His sentence went unfinished when the phone started ringing in his fist and an unknown number flashed up on the screen. Baekhyun suddenly became nervous, which was unreasonable because if it really was Sooyoung, Kyungsoo was the one who was supposed to get nervous not him. He opened his fist slowly and held his open palm in front of Kyungsoo. “Are you gonna take it?”

Kyungsoo gulped and then nodded, before picking the phone up. He heard Baekhyun taking a deep breath and holding it in, just before he hit the answer button and then….

“Hello? Is this Do Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo’s jaw slackened immediately. This voice was a woman’s voice but not Sooyoung’s. Not that he knew Sooyoung’s voice very well but this one was sharp and squeaky. And what if they weren’t calling for a job and it was something else_

“Hello?”

Kyungsoo snapped out of his thoughts and held the phone tighter to his ear. “Y-Yes! This is Do Kyungsoo speaking!”

With that, Baekhyun leaned in and pressed his ear against Kyungsoo’s cheek to hear in on the conversation. “Good morning, sir. Sorry for bothering you at such early hour. I’m calling from Choi enterprises. I’ve been told to inform you about the interview that is being held at 5 P.M. this afternoon. Please, be here thirty minutes before this interview starts, so we won’t have any problems ordering and everything else. Do you have the address to the company?”

Kyungsoo stared with widened eyes at Baekhyun who had retreated somewhere in the middle of the girl’s speech and was now grinning widely at him. “Y-yeah, I’ve been to the company before.”

“Great! Don’t forget, the interview starts at 5 P.M. but we’re expecting you here at 4:30. Sorry for bothering you again- have a nice day.”

With that, she hung up. Kyungsoo’s wide-eyed state didn’t change for a few seconds until… “WAaaaAaaaa”

Both of them jumped into each other’s arms and started screaming. Baekhyun squished Kyungsoo’s cheeks between his palms and started rubbing their noses together. “Kyungie, I’m so proud of you.”

“This is literally the gayest moment I’ve seen in my life.”

They both separated and looked at Tao who was leaning against the wall by the door.  Kyungsoo scowled because, how the hell Tao always managed to get a copy of their keys?

Baekhyun just laughed and sling an arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “If gays don’t act like gays, who else is supposed to do that?”

He then kissed Kyungsoo’s cheek for dramatic effects and Kyungsoo wrapped his arm around his waist with a full bloomed grin on his face. Tao stared at them with a blank face. “I know you two aren’t dating.”

Kyungsoo felt Baekhyun’s face nearing his ear and tried hard not to laugh because he was ticklish there and Baekhyun’s hot breath was literally doing the thing.

“You sure? We could always be doing things without you knowing.” Baekhyun drawled, trying to have his voice come out as sultry and husky. Tao made a disgusted face and pushed himself off the wall. “You know what? I came here to check and see why you’re both screaming like banshees, but I honestly don’t care anymore. I’ll go so you can smooch as much as you want.”

Kyungsoo stared with raised eyebrows as he elegantly left their flat. “You think he bought that?”

Baekhyun snickered and Kyungsoo finally gave in, giggling and squirming his way out of Baekhyun’s hold. “Yeah, he totally bought it.”

Kyungsoo turned around and stared at his best friend with a big smile on his face. “I hope I get the job.”

“Don’t worry, you will. The hard part was getting them to call you. Now that they have, you have to show them you’re worth calling.”

Kyungsoo nodded his head firmly. “I will.”

Baekhyun nodded in return. “I know you will.”

Baekhyun then turned around and didn’t see the way Kyungsoo tugged at his khaki shorts and murmured under his breath. “Boxer, please please please work today.”

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo checked himself for the hundredth time and picked on his tie. He had been standing by the door for the last ten minutes and couldn’t get himself to enter the room. His palms were covered in sweat and he could hear his pulse in his ears. Everyone was already in and the last person who Kyungsoo actually saw entering went in three minutes ago. He came out a few seconds later all sad and depressed and told Kyungsoo that he had gotten disqualified due to not being on time. That made Kyungsoo even more nervous. He was already troubled enough for arriving there on 4:40, it didn’t help that they kicked out the only person who had also arrived late. Now, he had been waiting outside the room for a long time, deciding whether he should just go in or give up the opportunity.

Suddenly a woman’s voice started calling names from inside the room and Kyungsoo glanced at his watch frantically, finding it on 5 P.M. sharp. He didn’t waste another second and opened the door slowly, trying to creep in and quietly as possible. A woman- presumably the secretary- who was reading the names had her back to him and Kyungsoo so very quietly sat down at the end of a row of chairs by the side of a plump chipmunk looking young man.

“… and Mr. Do Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo took in a deep breath, praying silently that she wouldn’t realize his little cheat before saying. “Here.”

The woman turned around, stared at him with a skeptical look and then, wrote something down with a nod.

“Alright…” Hearing that Kyungsoo sighed in relief. “Gentlemen, you’ll be having your interviews in the same order your names were called. Please wait patiently for your turn and don’t make any ruckus to disturb the interviewers. First person, Mr. Yang Yoseob, please follow me.”

Kyungsoo followed the petite man with his eyes until he disappeared down the corridor and sighed in relief again.

“That was close.”

He turned his head slightly to the chipmunk man and received a toothy grin. “Lucky you got the timing right or else you would have gotten kicked out like that last person did.”

Kyungsoo laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah… I guess I really am lucky…?”

The boy’s grin widened and he patted him on the back. “No worries buddy, although I really need this job I’m not going to rat you out. I’m a cool guy.”

Kyungsoo smiled in apprehension. The boy also smiled and extended his hand for him to shake. “I’m Kim Minseok, by the way.”

“Do Kyungsoo, nice to meet you.”

The boy nodded in acknowledgment and they both settled back in their seats, awkward silence falling upon them. Kyungsoo felt like he should be saying something but the more he racked his brain, the more nothing he came up with. Ten minutes later and the secretary came back to take Mark Tuan with her. When the last person didn’t come back, Kyungsoo turned to Minseok with a scowl. “They’re sending them out from another door. They want to stop us from cheating. Who do they think we are? High schoolers?”

Minseok shrugged with a small smile on his face. “Yeah, they always do that. I was pissed the first time, too but now I’m used to it.”

Kyungsoo tilted his head to the side with a confused expression. “You come here a lot?”

Minseok sighed and nodded his head slowly. “Yeah. They’ve got a lot of departments so whenever there’s a job interview I’ll come. So far there has been no progress but I’m not giving up. One of these days… I’m gonna get the job.”

He nodded his head again with a firm jaw and Kyungsoo felt a pang in his heart. For the first time since he had got the boxer, he wondered about its impact on other people. Imagining that the boxer indeed has supernatural power, wouldn’t it ruin other people’s chances in life to bring him the opportunity? For example, in this case, if he got the job, wouldn’t he be ruining Minseok’s chances of getting it?

His race of thoughts got cut when the lady came again and this time, it was Minseok’s turn to go. Kyungsoo did a fighting gesture and watched Minseok go with a heavy heart. He was starting to doubt that he really wanted the boxer in his life.


	8. Chapter Seven

_5 months later_

“Thank you, Ms. Shin. I’ll be looking forward to seeing little Hyesung from now on.”

“Yeah, Hyesung likes it here very much. I’ll make sure to bring her from tomorrow.”

Baekhyun listened to the conversation between Tao and a parent with gritted teeth. He just couldn’t _believe t_ hat out of them three, _he_ would be the one who couldn’t get his dream job. Kyungsoo was a very very important secretary –as important as a secretary can get but still, he was pretty important- and Tao, despite him being the scary kid no one wanted to associate with; because of Kyungsoo, ended up as co- caretaker. What _Baekhyun_ got thanks to Kyungsoo, was the job of a janitor.

A janitor.

_A freaking janitor._

He had to run around the company 24/7 and do very unimportant stuff everyone asked him to do and he couldn’t even complain about it. Because Baekhyun needed a job desperately and although Jongdae offered him Kyungsoo’s place in the café, he couldn’t make coffee for shit.

“Mr. Byun, you know that this tiles won’t clean on their own, right?”

Baekhyun looked up with a scowl and glared at Tao who was towering over him with a smirk. “If I’m going to use my pretty hands for anything, I’d rather punch you in the face.”

Tao threw his head back and burst out in laughter. “I’d like you to try.”

Baekhyun realized he had just threatened a martial arts master. Blush covered his cheeks and a pout found its way on his lips. “Whatever. You’re not the one who ended up as a janitor, you got your dream job.”

Tao came down from his fit and smiled gently at him. “Byun Baek, how could you have gotten your dream job when even _you_ don’t know what that is?” 

Baekhyun grabbed his mop with a deep frown and started sweeping the floor. “Yeah, I said whatever didn’t I? Just get lost so I won’t see your hideous face anymore.”

Tao chuckled under his breath, not even slightly bothered by Baekhyun’s mean words. “Okay, I’m going back in. and oh, Kyungsoo wanted to see you. He said he has a very important thing to say.”

Baekhyun didn’t raise his head until he heard the soft thud of Tao’s door being shut and then, sighed in relief. Ever since the three of them, thanks to Kyungsoo, had started working in the same place, Baekhyun always felt awkward around his friends. He couldn’t help but feel ashamed of himself. Although Tao’s salary was only higher than his by a few pennies, Baekhyun felt way too inferior. Even Jongdae had laughed at him when he was telling him about his new job.

He couldn’t see how this was the only job Kyungsoo could have found him in such a huge company. But maybe he should just stop complaining and actually appreciate the fact that he had a job courtesy of Kyungsoo and he could start repaying him sometime soon eventually.

“Hey,” Tao stuck his head out of his room with a Cheshire grin. “I said Kyungsoo wanted to see you, didn’t I?”

All thoughts of appreciating Kyungsoo’s efforts vanished out of Baekhyun’s mind with a groan. What was he thinking, asking for Baekhyun as if he was just his lowly servant? Didn’t he know he was bust sweeping the floor?

“You better go now.”

Baekhyun tried to throw his mop at Tao but even if the latter didn’t have fast wushu reflexes and hasn’t closed the door immediately, the mop wouldn’t have reached him. It just dropped in front of his feet, lying there motionless as if mocking Baekhyun’s entire existence.

He grunted again and started toward the elevator.

Kyungsoo –as the CEO’s secretary and personal assistant- obviously worked at the same office as Mr. Choi, which made Baekhyun go up 34 floors, 30 of them by elevator and the other 4 by stairs. Because a model wanted to go down and Baekhyun was unimportant so he had to get out and let the model take the elevator. 15 minutes later and a panting Baekhyun knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Baekhyun opened the door slowly and peeked in. Kyungsoo was sitting at his desk, surrounded by piles of paperwork. He probably had to finish until lunch. Baekhyun cleared his throat but Kyungsoo didn’t look up.

“You’re late.”

Baekhyun clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Because I had to take the stairs.” Kyungsoo hummed in acknowledgment. “And would appreciate it if you looked at me.”

Kyungsoo’s hand hovered over the paper he was writing for a second and then, Baekhyun met his puffy tired eyes. Kyungsoo smiled lazily, the corner of his lips tugging up in such slow motion that Baekhyun started tapping his feet impatiently. “I’m sorry Baek, but I really have no time and I need to finish these until 2 P.M.”

Baekhyun’s eyes softened seeing Kyungsoo’s miserable state. Kyungsoo was trying hard to keep up with his work so they wouldn’t be rotting in poverty anymore and it became even more of a reason for Baekhyun to hate himself for his shitty job.

“They were looking for someone to be the 17th floor’s office’s co-assistant and I suggested you. If you weren’t so late, now you would be working there.”

Baekhyun didn’t even have time to feel his pressure dropping. The world just suddenly started spinning around him and before he knew it, he passed out…

 

 

 

 

 

 

The door cracked open for the hundredth time that day and Kyungsoo had to try hard to hide his grunt. One would never know who the person entering the office is, it could be Mr. Choi himself.

A mob of dark curly hair stuck in and Kyungsoo couldn’t but crack a smile. “Sooyoung-sshi, what brings you here?”

Sooyoung grinned and walked into the room with long strides. “I heard about Baekhyun’s panic attack.”

Kyungsoo sighed and rubbed his temples. “It wasn’t a panic attack. He just… fainted. With no reason. He’s going to kill himself if he continues like this.”

Sooyoung settled down in front of him and reached out to take a hold of his hand. “Listen, it’s not your fault and neither is his.”

Kyungsoo ran his other hand through his hair and sighed in frustration. “He blames himself for all that is happening. He thinks if he had gotten a better job, I wouldn’t be working so hard now.”

“Just hold on a little longer. Dad’s only trying to scare you off. It’s going to be okay soon. I assure you, it’ll be okay soon.”

Kyungsoo drew his hand out of Sooyoung’s grasp and tiredly started organizing the documents. The door opened and the CEO stepped in. Kyungsoo scrambled to his feet immediately and did a 90-degree bow. “Good day Mr. Choi. Did your observation plans go well?”

The Choi enterprise’s CEO dropped his coat on Kyungsoo’s desk and walked into his office. “I want the required documents on my desk in ten. And do not forget my coffee.”

“Yes, sir.” Said Kyungsoo, hurriedly drawing the documents out from the pile of papers on his desk. Sooyoung picked up the coat with an apologetic smile. “I’ll hang this. You take care of the coffee.”

Kyungsoo half smiled in appreciation and ran out the door to the nearest coffee-maker. Mr. Choi was a strict man. And Kyungsoo was in need of money.

In ten minutes, Mr. Choi sat down on his chair and saw the hot steam pouring out of the cup of coffee sitting beside all of the documents. He pressed the button on his phone with a smug smile on his face. “Get ready Kyungsoo. We’re leaving for a meeting.”

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo was starting to suspect that maybe Baekhyun’s presence in his life is finally affecting him. His smart was starting to fade and he could totally see the future where he and Baekhyun would just be dumb and dumber. Who the hell could follow his boss into a big company, discuss with him all the cons and pros of the contract they may make and do not fucking realize he’s in Kim’s company until they’re all seated down in the meeting room and his notes are sprawled all in front of him, and why does the person in front of him sound so familiar? Could that be-

“Hi, Kyungsoo-sshi. I’m surprised to meet you here.” Said Jongin.

Kyungsoo did his best to stay professional. Honestly, he did. But then, maybe he just had to get a tan like Kim Jongin so his blush wouldn’t take such little time to show itself. Jongin noticed the red creeping over Kyungsoo’s cheeks and smiled. “I’m glad you finally got a decent job. You deserved it.”

Kyungsoo’s whisper of ‘thanks’ got lost in the sound of the meeting starting and Kyungsoo spent the rest of meeting half-listening and half-recalling all those memories he’s ever had of Kim Jongin.

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo stood behind Mr. Choi silently and waited for him to finish his last words with CEO Kim.  Jongin was also standing behind his father and sending mixed-signals to Kyungsoo, maybe. He _was_ motioning something and making weird hand gestures but Kyungsoo never was a hand-sign person and he really had no idea what could possibly be Jongin’s inclination, so he just averted his eyes and rested his gaze on the back of Mr. Choi’s head. Not a lovely sight to be looking at but rather simple and totally not confusing. He pretended he didn’t hear Jongin sigh.

So, when both CEOs shook hands, Kyungsoo was even more than happy to go back even just knowing the fact that someone as hot as Jongin was standing nearby was slowly making its way to his brain. And his nerves. And if he remembered correctly from all those years of studying in high school, nerves were all over his body _ and no, unfortunately, he wasn’t an exception. All over his body meant exactly ALL OVER his body_ and that wasn’t a good sign. Definitely not a good sign.

Kyungsoo’s lips curled upwards into a polite but genuine smile and he scurried after CEO Choi not before bowing to CEO Kim and his son in respect.

“Mr. Kim, now that we’ve established a contract; would it be so much to ask for your son to give my assistant a tour of our supposed working place?” Asked Mr. Choi. And for the first time in his life, Kyungsoo broke into a cold sweat. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Jongin grinning from ear to ear and he heard Mr. Kim saying something along the lines of ‘yeah, sure. Why not?’ And yes, he heard him. He wasn’t one of those types of people with ringing ears and blurry spiraling visions. He wasn’t cliché. Nor was his ears.

Jongin did a polite half-bow to Mr. Choi and his father and didn’t turn to Kyungsoo until they both disappeared out of their line of vision. That stupid shit grin seemed to be permanent on his plump luscious lips. Kyungsoo cut his train of thoughts before they would go out of hand and coughed awkwardly. “Shall we start?”

Jongin’s eyes sparkled and he tipped his head to the right, beckoning Kyungsoo to follow him into the maze-like halls and corridors of the giant building.

Five minutes later, the fact that Kyungsoo had fallen behind Jongin was something natural and not an action intended in any sorts at all. Maybe if he was walking beside him, he would find it super awkward and try to come up with some sort of plan to slow his pace and put a lot of distance between him and the hot boy.  But, no. Kyungsoo was more than a head shorter than Jongin. And he had shorter legs. And occasionally, he even had to jog a little to catch up with Jongin. So any plans of intentionally falling behind didn’t cross his mind.

What did cross his mind was the fact that Jongin was so quiet, it was unsettling. He cleared his throat, deciding to be the first one who breaks the silence.

“So, how are you doing Jongin-sshi?”

The taller male turned toward Kyungsoo and waited half a second for him to catch up. “Please, you know just to call me Jongin.” Kyungsoo tried to ignore that fact that Jongin had slowed his pace so that they can walk side by side. “I’m fine. What about you? Isn’t it hard being such a big company’s assistant?”

Kyungsoo hesitated. He wasn’t sure how exactly he’s supposed to answer such question. He also didn’t realize that he’s empty stare was lingering on a coffee-maker over at the end of the hall. Jongin set it as his personal mission to make him one when they reached the device. Kyungsoo finally came up with the proper answer. “I won’t say it’s easy. It’s definitely not. But when has making money been easy? If the hard-work is what gives me the luxury I want, I’m okay with a year or two of insomnia.”

He then took the hot steaming cup of coffee from Jongin’s hand and relished the rest of his tour in the warmth of the cup in his hands and Jongin’s palm on his back.

 


	9. chapter Eight

Chanyeol had a very easy-going personality. He wasn’t one of those types to get bothered by what people said and there wasn’t really anyone or anything that could piss him off. Considering that he’d never met anyone even remotely like himself, he was proud to announce that he’s one of a kind and thus, should be treated as such.

Jongin was sure to make a face at this statement and concluded that it doesn’t change anything regarding the fact that Chanyeol works for him and will be doing so forever. Chanyeol lived up to his reputation and laughed off Jongin’s statement. He was his friend and surely didn’t mean those things.

Or maybe, just a little, he did. It was 1 P.M. The sun was scorching hot over his head and he didn’t have a car because his wanna-be-mechanic sister was supposed to fix it tree days ago, but she was still working on it.

So when Jongin gave him so work-papers and asked him to deliver it to the Choi Company and have it signed, Chanyeol’s not silent-at-all pleas of ‘Please, my car is broken?’ and ‘Why can’t somebody else do it?’ were answered with an eye-roll and a devastated sigh of ‘You’re the only person I can trust with this, okay?’

And now, Chanyeol was roaming the city aimlessly, having no general sense of where he was going or what he was doing. His phone was dead and without GPS, he was as useless as a rock in finding his way. He was so focused on trying to find a familiar place that he skipped his intended building four times without getting even close to it.

Somehow amidst his dramatic head-turning which he had always seen lost characters in movies do, he caught sight of a familiar mob of dark hair and immediately stopped. A lone petit figure which he assumed belonged to no other than Byun Baekhyun was rushing up a flight of stairs. And voila! Here’s the building he had been blind to see. But why was Baekhyun going there?

Chanyeol fished his brand-new sunglasses out of his pockets, put them on with an artistic jerk of his wrist and sneakily, started following Byun Baekhyun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once a wise man said ‘If you’re good at something, never do it for free.’ Baekhyun took the advice to the heart and promised himself to follow it ‘till the end. Maybe he should have thought of his life conditions before making such a great vow. Putting the whole ‘doing things for free’ aside, there was simply nothing that he was good at. If it was, he wouldn’t be running around, running errands for making close to little money –which wasn’t really different from free, in his opinion- and all of it was his fault. Because when Kyungsoo was all studying and classic nerdy stuff, Baekhyun was a full-time diva and a box of flirtatious winks was gathered at his eyes, only meant for cute or sexy guys.

Still, Byun Baekhyun wasn’t an incapable man either. He had a lot of good qualities. Sure, he couldn’t use them in real life to gain money but it didn’t mean they wouldn’t come in handy.

One of them was his super sensitive sixth sense which especially activated when he was rushing up the stairs and into Choi enterprises. He felt the burning sensation of a stare on the back of his head and his insides churned in an uncomfortable way.

That only meant someone was following him and if that person caught up, it wouldn’t end well. It was the time he used his second and third talents, a good sense of direction and two healthy legs that were awesome at running.

One.

Two.

“Hey, Baekhyun-shi!”

 _Shit_. Baekhyun thought and ran off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol could come up with only one idea as to why Baekhyun would be there. And that would be meeting his huge-eyed friend, Kyungsoo. Jongin wouldn’t shut up about him. And Chanyeol knew more about Kyungsoo’s long lashes and curvy bottom that he ever wanted to. He wasn’t interested in him. The person he was interested in was Byun Baekhyun who was hidden in the shadows behind Do Kyungsoo’s shining glory. Yeah, typical Jongin and his imagination.

And now, after such a long time that he had finally seen the petit boy and, he had run off at the sound of his voice. Chanyeol wasn’t sure how to think of that. The best he could come off was that Baekhyun had thought of him as a rapist or something because boy did he run like his life depended on it. The only way to clear the misunderstanding was to go looking for Kyungsoo and meet him there.

When he arrived at his destination, he found Kyungsoo busy writing down a letter. His bureau was covered with a pile of folders and documents and his big glasses made his eyes even more owlish that usual. Chanyeol waited for him to acknowledge his presence, but Kyungsoo kept on writing and paid him no attention. Finally, Chanyeol coughed loudly and the poor boy jumped up in surprise.

“Oh… Hello, Chanyeol-shi. Are you here for the signing of the document?”

Chanyeol flashed him one of his toothy smiles and stepped in. “Yes. Can I meet Mr. Choi now?”

“Yes. He’s waiting for you in his office.”

Chanyeol nodded in apprehension and Kyungsoo started writing again. Chanyeol wanted to ask him about Baekhyun but decided to do it after he has done his job.

 

 

 

 

 

One would think that signing a paper would not take much time. Chanyeol didn’t. He assumed, the most it takes would be half an hour and then, he can start his expedition on finding Baekhyun. Three hours later, his eyes were burning from tiredness and his heart was a sobbing a mess. There was no way Baekhyun would still be in the building. His was most probably back in his home, sipping on a cup of coffee and watching TV.

Kyungsoo eyes him strangely when he stepped out of Mr. Choi’s office. He didn’t say anything, though and Chanyeol managed to send him an apologetic half smile before shouldering his way out the door and into the hall.

He knew he was dragging his leg and that he looked like a kid, robbed off of his lollipop. The problem was, he couldn’t really help it. Since the first time they met, he had become interested in the petit boy and even the thought of spending time with him had excited him immensely. So much excited that right now, even when he knew he had lost his chance with Baekhyun, he was seeing the cleaning boy as him.

He blinked and ran a hand through his locks, tiredly. Nice of his brain to try and cheer him up by hallucinating, but why would Baekhyun be cleaning here? It was outright ridiculous. He snorted loudly and the cleaner’s head snapped up.

They both stared at each other. Cleaning boy’s eyes started to grow bigger and bigger by every second and only when Chanyeol saw the cute mole on the thumb of his hand that was holding the mop he registered that it was indeed Baekhyun.

The shorter male was the first one to realize what is happening. His face blushed scarlet red immediately and he shoved the mop behind his back, dropping it in his hurry to hide it from Chanyeol’s eyes. Chanyeol, on his part, was extremely confused and couldn’t think properly. What was Baekhyun still doing here and why was he sweeping the floor?

Baekhyun smiled sheepishly and tucked his hands into his jean pockets. His eyes darted around nervously until they settled back on the tall male. “Chanyeol-shi! What a surprise! What are you doing here?”

Chanyeol chuckled nervously but stopped himself abruptly. Why was he nervous? He shouldn’t be nervous. It was just Baekhyun, there was no reason to be nervous. But Baekhyun was nervous. Why?

“I came here to have a document signed. I’m heading back now. What about you? Are you here to visit Kyungsoo-shi?”

Baekhyun’s eyes lit up with joy and his smile reached from one ear to another. “Yes! I’m here to visit my friend. Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo my friend.” He then sort of laughed and grimaced at the same time.

Chanyeol was having an inner conflict. Part of him could only see Baekhyun’s cute box-shaped smile and the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed. That part kept on cooing at Baekhyun’s cuteness and wanted nothing but to hug the smaller male to his chest and squish him forever.

Another part of him saw the nervous way Baekhyun tapped his shoes on the floor. Saw the beads of sweat trickle down the side of his face and saw worry written all over his posture. After what felt like an eternity –but was actually only a second- the second part won. Chanyeol casually raised an eyebrow and pointed at the mop with a jerk of his chin.

Suddenly Baekhyun’s whole face turned red like a tomato. So much that Chanyeol would have been concerned for him if he didn’t know the boy was ashamed of the situation he was found in. Baekhyun wriggled his nose and sighed audibly before speaking. “I was waiting for Kyungsoo to finish his work, so we could go back home together. Then I got bored and decided to give a hand to the cleaner. You see, I’m a very kind and sympathetic person and I strongly believe that–”

Someone cleared their throat and Baekhyun stopped abruptly. The person had poked his head out of an office near where they were standing. A man with a white shirt, blue tie and round glasses. An office cliché. He turned his head toward Baekhyun, a frown marring his features. “Baekhyun-shi. I think you’ve forgotten my coffee again. Please, I need to stay awake. And don’t forget the extra sugar.”

Chanyeol had almost believed Baekhyun. Almost, because his excuse was so lame there was no way for it to be real, but Chanyeol didn’t want to pry into Baekhyun’s business. He could tell him whenever he wanted. Preferably after they’d started dating and were getting closer to each other. But why was this man asking Baekhyun for his coffee? His little puppy wasn’t a personal assistant, was he?

Chanyeol was deep in his thoughts that he didn’t see Baekhyun rounding him and going for the elevator. Only when he tilted his head to ask Baekhyun the question on his mind was that he saw the brunette hurrying away from him. With the help of his long gangly limbs, he reached the cute boy in a few strides and stood beside him in front of the elevator doors. Baekhyun’s face was still red and he was deliberately avoiding Chanyeol by pretending he wasn’t there. The elf-like boy wasn’t stupid. He knew the places he couldn’t stick his nose into. So instead, he did the thing he had been waiting to do all day.

He grabbed Baekhyun’s hand that was dangling at his side, pulled a pen out of his breast pocket and wrote down his number on the palm of his beautiful hand. He was done by the time the elevator arrived and couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off of his face. He stepped in the elevator, turned around and saw Baekhyun staring at his palm with an open mouth. He then looked up slowly and stared at Chanyeol with a stupid expression. Chanyeol mouthed a ‘text me’ before the doors closed and didn’t stop grinning until he got home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“You’re going to burn a hole in the screen if you keep on staring at it like that.”

Baekhyun glared at Tao, but the raven-haired boy had already moved on from him and his attention was now on the cupcakes Kyungsoo had just placed on the table. He picked one up, sniffed it and then stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. Baekhyun made a disgusted face and went back to staring at his phone.

It had been two days, fifteen hours and twenty-seven minutes that Chanyeol had given him his number and he hadn’t done anything yet. Hadn’t texted him. He hadn’t even saved his number in his phone. The only thing he had done was to write the number down on a piece of paper as soon as he got home, in case it got washed away. Not that he was ever going to wash his hands anyway. Never. His hands had been touched by Chanyeol; how could he?

Kyungsoo poked his head out of the kitchen. “Tao’s right, you know? The later you text him, the more unwilling you seem. He’ll think you did it out of obligation or maybe even pity. If you’re serious about him, you have to do it now.”

He then retreated back to the kitchen. Baekhyun gulped anxiously and picked up his phone. He could do it. He could do it. He could do it. _He could not do it._

He dropped the phone back on the table, whined pathetically and sprawled himself on the couch. Tao mumbled something, his words all jumbled up by the food in his mouth. Baekhyun ignored him, thinking it’s another one of his snarky comments being thrown his way. He didn’t see him roll his eyes, nor did he see him pick up the piece of paper with Chanyeol’s number on it or his phone.

He figured out what had happened, only when the Chinese boy smirked and threw the phone back on his face. Baekhyun groaned, but an icy chill went down his spine when he saw the screen of his phone flashing brightly.

 

_Hey, what’s up?_

 

Baekhyun’s face lost all its color and the phone fell from his hands on the sofa cushion. No wonder Tao was smirking like the little bitch he was. Tears were threatening to fall but despite himself, he was actually feeling quite excited as well. What would the reply be? Would they start dating after that?

Baekhyun picked up his phone again, stared at the screen while nervously biting his bottom lip and waited. And waited. _And waited._

 

He jolted awake when Kyungsoo draped a blanket over him. Kyungsoo took the phone from his hands, ruffled his hair and slowly pushed him back on the couch. “Shhh. It’s okay. Just go back to sleep.”

Baekhyun nuzzled his nose against the blanket’s soft clothing and closed his eyes. His last thoughts before falling asleep were that Chanyeol never texted him back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning, Baekhyun woke up on the wrong side of the bed. He refused to get out from under his blanket and when Kyungsoo tried to wake him up, graced his ears with some very creative curses. Kyungsoo finally gave up and left the groggy boy alone. Baekhyun waited to hear the front door being shut, then poked his head out from under the cover.

He wanted to die. He seriously didn’t want to live anymore. Not if Chanyeol lived in the same world as him. The same country as him. The same city as him. He couldn’t risk running into the giant. Not when he knew about his embarrassing job and has blatantly ignored his text because of it.

He groaned again, kicked his blanket aside and jumped to his feet. Normally, it would only take him about ten minutes to get ready but that day, he took his time and an hour later, finally pulled on his sneakers and set off to work.

While he was waiting for the bus to arrive, he fished his phone out of his pocket and turned on the screen to check the time. What caught his attention was the notification bar flashing for a new message.

His breath got caught in his throat and he opened his messages anxiously.

 

_Hi! I’m so so so so sorry for responding lately. I was in a meeting and my battery was also running low._

_How are you?_

_Are you free this Friday afternoon?_

_Are you mad at me?_

_You’re mad, aren’t you?_

_I’m sorry. Please forgive me TT_TT_

 

Baekhyun’s heart was beating so fast, he could almost feel it ripping out of his chest. Chanyeol had texted him. He had answered. _While he was asleep._

Baekhyun didn’t know how he got to work. The whole ride, his mind was so busy he wouldn’t even have known if they were going to crash.

His thoughts were all jumbled. How was he supposed to respond? What was he supposed to say?

Sitting on a stool, outside of his small room in the Choi building, he moved his phone restlessly between his nimble fingers and read the messages over and over again. Finally, when somebody shouted at him “Hurry and bring my damn coffee”, he hastily sent a simple “Friday’s fine” and got up to do his work. He didn’t think of Chanyeol until the night when he screamed Kyungsoo’s ear off and slept with a stupid grin on his face.

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo was going to kill him. Baekhyun knew it and he didn’t care. Because he was going on a date with Park freaking Chanyeol.

Even thinking about the upcoming event made him giddy and plastered a wide smile on his flushed face. He stared at himself in the mirror, a warm feeling surging through his body. He was happy. After such a long time, he was finally happy.

Kyungsoo stormed into the room, his ears red from rage and his nostrils flaring. He stared at Baekhyun standing in the middle of the room with only his boxer on and gritted his teeth in anger. “What is this mess? What do you think you’re doing?”

Baekhyun smiled sheepishly and looked at all the clothes he had thrown out of the closet. “Sorry. I was just looking for something.”

For a second, Kyungsoo almost looked like he wanted to kill him. But then, he took in a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You could have just _asked_ me. What are you even looking for?”

Baekhyun roamed his eyes over the piles of clothing at his feet, chewing on his bottom lip. “You remember that boxer of yours that I wore? The navy one that really looked good on me?”

Kyungsoo paled visibly but Baekhyun was so busy looking at the clothes that he didn’t notice. “I know I’m being stupid, but I keep thinking about how suddenly I got lucky when I wore it. It was like a lucky charm. A lucky boxer? Ha ha… I’ll just feel better if I wear it for tonight. You’re not wearing it, are you?”

He raised his head and saw Kyungsoo’s guilty expression. “You are, huh? Whatever. Did you at least iron the suit I gave you?”

Kyungsoo’s expression snapped back to a furious glare. “I’m not your maid, you know? It wouldn’t hurt to add a simple ‘please’ to the end of your sentences.”

“Did you at least iron the shirt I gave you, please?”

Kyungsoo sighed and went out of the room. A second later, he came back with Baekhyun’s new suit draped on his arm. After Baekhyun put it on, Kyungsoo helped him knot his tie. They smiled at each other. Kyungsoo’s was one of encouragement and Baekhyun’s out of nervousness.

The doorbell rang.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened comically. He checked himself in the mirror one last time, got a squeeze on the shoulder by Kyungsoo and ran downstairs.

 

Chanyeol was waiting for him beside his car. He was casually leaning against the vehicle, checking something on his phone. The moonlight was shining on his jet black hair and his lips were shaped into a cute pout, while he scrolled down on the screen.

Baekhyun felt himself flush and walked down the last couple of stairs with a clouded mind.

Chanyeol looked up from his phone, saw Baekhyun approaching and smiled one of his killer smiles. “Hey! You look great!”

Baekhyun’s cheeks dusted a darker shade of red and he smiled shyly. “Thanks. You too.”

Chanyeol straightened his tie, glanced at Baekhyun and his eyes sparkled. “Ready?”

Baekhyun nodded eagerly and jumped in the car after Chanyeol opened the door for him. The inside of Chanyeol’s black Audi was completely white. Baekhyun had glanced at the interior design before but he wasn’t everything to be so… _blinding_. He carefully fastened his seatbelt and folded his hand on his lap. Chanyeol got in the driver’s seat and stared at Baekhyun with a huge grin on his face. Baekhyun tapped his fingers on his thigh nervously and refused to look anywhere but straight ahead. Finally, Chanyeol turned on the engine and got off.

The ride was uncomfortable quiet. Baekhyun had started biting his nails after the first five minutes and now all his beautiful nails were ruined. He knew he ought to feel at least a little bit sorry, but he was just glad his hands were occupied or else he would be pulling on his hair.

Chanyeol’s expression while driving was solemn. Baekhyun knew he was supposed to say something, but he just couldn’t find it in himself to open his mouth. He was sure he would mess everything up by saying something stupid. He couldn’t ruin his chance.

Chanyeol felt Baekhyun’s gaze on himself and tilted his head toward him. Baekhyun noted the wide smile appearing on his face out of nowhere and bit hard on his thumbnail.

“You should stop biting your nails. They’re beautiful. You don’t really wanna ruin them, do you?”

Chanyeol’s words were light, but they still hit Baekhyun like thunder. He dropped his hand and rubbed his saliva on the inside of his jacket.

There was a war inside of his head. He knew he was being stupid. He knew he wasn’t being himself. But something stopped him from being himself. He couldn’t be himself. Byun Baekhyun was not right. Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol didn’t work. Chanyeol was tall. Chanyeol was handsome.  Chanyeol was rich. But what about Baekhyun? He was nothing. This was wrong. _Wrong_.

“Hey! Baekhyun, are you okay? Baekhyun. Baekhyun!”

Baekhyun was having a panic attack. Somewhere in his mind, a small cynical Baekhyun face-palmed and asked: “But why are you having a panic attack?” Baekhyun didn’t know. He had never had a panic attack before. Was he really having a panic attack?

He couldn’t hear anything. He could speak. He just saw Chanyeol’s panicked expression in front of his face, rounded with a bright red halo, his beautiful eyes filled with worry and his mouth repeating a word over and over. Baekhyun tried to decipher, tried to lip-read his words. Bacon. Beykyun. _Baekhyun_.

Air rushed in his lungs. The world around his snapped back into place and Baekhyun’s mouth moved on its own accord. “I can’t. Take me back to my house.”

 

 

  * §§



 

 

By the time they arrived back to Baekhyun and Kyungsoo’s dingy little apartment, Baekhyun was completely back to his senses. Chanyeol hadn’t said a word after Baekhyun’s proposition. He just rounded the car and drove back the way they had come.

Baekhyun didn’t know what to say. He didn’t have anything to say. He still couldn’t believe he had had a panic attack over dating a rich guy. No wonder he has been single all his life. He was pathetic.

The car stopped in front of their building. Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something but the suffocating silence swallowed all his words. He regarded Chanyeol with tears in his eyes, unfastened his seatbelt and stepped out of the car.

Night’s cold wind brushed his cheeks. He heard another door being opened and turned around. Chanyeol stepped out of his car, squinted for a second to readjust his eyes and then, walked toward Baekhyun with confident strides.

Baekhyun thought after his breakdown, the taller boy will get away from him as fast as possible. He didn’t expect him to stay. He didn’t expect him to get out of the car. He definitely didn’t expect him to come forward and hold his hands in his much larger ones.

“I’d like to take you out again another time. And if you have another panic attack, I’ll take you out again. I’ll do it as much as it takes until you won’t get stressed again. I like you Baekhyun and want you to like me back as well. Will you be willing to give it another try? Will you be willing to give me another try?”

Baekhyun’s throat was all clogged up. He opened his mouth but he couldn’t speak. The cynical Baekhyun shouted “Hurry! Say it before he runs away!”

He stared at Chanyeol’s face. His hopeful eyes, his shy little smile and with a voice barely above a whisper said “Yes.”

Chanyeol’s eyes sparkled. His vibrant smile sprang back to its original place. He cupped Baekhyun’s face with his large hands, placed a kiss on his forehead and murmured against his skin “I’ll text you later.”

Baekhyun went in the house in a stupor. He got changed for bed without even knowing it, his body on autopilot. He opened the window before cocooning himself under the blanket. The night was cold, but the place Chanyeol had kissed on his forehead burned hotter than a thousand suns.

Baekhyun went to sleep with a smile on his lips.

 

And woke up the next day with a fever.


End file.
